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The successful delivery of a mega sport event depends upon a volunteer workforce. It is often asserted that the training of event volunteers contributes to the creation of a social legacy via the transfer of learning to other volunteer contexts, thereby creating an enhanced volunteer pool after the event, which will support the tourism and events industries in the host communities. This article reflects upon the reality of that assertion and argues that in order to achieve legacy both training and development strategies are required. As such an analysis of data collected at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games around training and legacy is discussed. A Legacy Training and Development Model is offered and subsequently applied to the case study. The article concludes by suggesting that training at Vancouver 2010 was a missed opportunity in achieving legacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare motivations of volunteers at two mega multi-sport events. Design/methodology/approach – The research used a quantitative research design to survey volunteers at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (n=2,066) and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games (n=11,451) via an online questionnaire based upon the Special Event Volunteer Motivation Scale. Findings – The results indicate that the volunteers, most of whom had previously volunteered, were motivated by similar variables, including the uniqueness of the event, the desire to make it a success and to give back to their community. The results of the principal components analysis indicated that most items of the scale loaded onto similar components across the two research contexts. Research limitations/implications – There were methodological limitations in terms of the timing of the questionnaire administration and Likert scales used, however, these issues were controlled by gatekeepers. These limitations could have research implication for comparative studies of volunteers at mega events. Practical implications – Understanding volunteer motivations will enable event managers and volunteer managers to plan for legacy. Social implications – Volunteer motivations include wanting to give back to their community and therefore, increases the potential for volunteer legacy. Originality/value – This is the first research that: enables comparison of winter and summer Olympic and Paralympic Games volunteers; has substantial sample sizes in relation to the variables; applies higher item loadings to strengthen the analysis; and involves the use of the same instrument across events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the transfer and dissemination of knowledge between scientists, the volunteers who collect the knowledge and the communities which learn from it in order to implement change. The role of knowledge “stickiness” in the reduction of knowledge transfer is outlined. The characteristics of the knowledge and the situation combine to develop a range of factors, “stickiness predictors,” which can deter knowledge transfer. These stickiness predictors are used to analyse data gathered from three qualitative cases, which were developed from both participant observation and semi-structured interviews studying the interactions between the scientists, volunteers and organisations. A reconsideration of the way that knowledge and knowledge transfer are being conceptualised by scientists is proposed, in order to enable “stickiness” factors to be recognised and managed, thereby increasing the potential for scientific literacy. A move towards a more broadly constituted community of practice is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]