The aggregating factor closely linked to sport and sport events makes them act as an essential tool when defining strategies that promote and stimulate sport tourism and the motivation to visit a certain place. This work investigated an urban running sport event in the capital of Portugal, with the aim of analysing and evaluating its potential economic, sociocultural and environmental sustainability impacts. Methodologically, 2,771 questionnaire surveys were applied to the participants of the event, obtaining 590 validated answers (21.0% of the sample). The key results indicate that the main motivation for travelling was to participate in the event (69.3%), environmental preservation measures were recognised (77.1%) and the majority intends to participate in future editions (96.3%). We concluded that the short travel of most participants (<20 km) to Lisbon did not produce significant economic impacts on various expenses, limiting the promotion and development of the local economy and tourism.

The scientific breakthrough in understanding the role of sports volunteers, as well as the importance of motivation and expectations management in decision-making, has boosted several studies, helping to reinforce the conceptual idea of a sports legacy, especially in relation to the participation and involvement of Olympic volunteers. In this sense, and reinforcing this idea, this study aimed to analyse and measure the perception of sports volunteers regarding the motivations and expectations arising from their participation in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The study followed a quantitative-descriptive and inferential methodology, with a validated sample of 828 responses collected through a semi-structured questionnaire adapted from the original VMS-ISE motivation scale. The results point to a reinforcement of the perceived importance and value associated with participation in the Olympic Games that translate into high levels of motivation and satisfaction by most of the volunteers involved. The most valued factors were the feeling of pleasure promoted by the experience, the possibility of personal and professional development, the passion for the Olympic Games, and the passion for sport. The majority of the candidates validated the post-event expectations as having exceeded their initial ones, and 92.0% of the volunteers would participate in a similar event again. The study allows the reinforcement of sports volunteers intentions and expectations, while validating and confirming previous studies on the importance of motivation and personal development in a successful recruitment strategy that fosters regular and consolidated participation of previous volunteers.

Scientific research in the field of sports management and its respective academic improvement has been pointed out and recognised by several authors as the path to follow for a better understanding of its importance in the global development of sport, as well as in the improvement of academic curricula and skills of sports managers. This study aims to analyse the scientific and academic production of three Portuguese public universities, being this the main source and origin of the knowledge generated over the last decades. Methodologically, we analysed 193 master dissertations successfully completed between 2008 and 2017 available in institutional scientific repositories, as well as in the national library. The results point to a growth of scientific knowledge in Portugal, validated by the considerable evolution in the number of completed works in distinct areas in sports management, mainly in the scope of planning and strategy, human resources and sociological aspects, which helps to reinforce its multidisciplinary and differentiating character. The data obtained allow us to expose a considerable part of the knowledge produced in Portugal, thus contributing to the strengthening of some areas and future research in sports management, given that it is crucial to aggregate the existing knowledge by enhancing new paths and future opportunities. We conclude that research in Portugal reflects the global growth of scientific knowledge and the increasing interest in sports management, both at qualitative and quantitative levels, while also following international concerns and trends.

European sports policies have focused on the implementation of public instruments and policy measures, aiming to encourage EU member states to promote and improve sports habits, while simultaneously tackling high levels of sedentary lifestyle among Europeans. Despite these efforts, data concerning the various measures is quite limited, making it impossible to assess the real impact on the population, particularly in the case of the European Cities of Sport. This award has been held since 2007 and has already distinguished 193 cities; however, current knowledge does not allow researchers to theorise about its multiple impacts as a strategic policy instrument for the local development of sport in Europe, thus constituting a gap within sports management research. In order to further this knowledge, we explored European reality over a decade (2013–2022), analysing nine awards of Portuguese cities. We employed qualitative methods for documentary analysis of public information and descriptive statistics for data analysis. The results show that over 2 600 multidisciplinary events were organised, among which 402 had an international character (15%), an average of 50 sports disciplines per edition, 359 events related to culture and education, and involved over 1 000 000 participants, with an overall investment of over €39 million. This research now allows a theoretical-scientific and operational referential pattern of key indicators to be established for future European ECS applications, while demonstrating an encouraging relationship, from a sports perspective and economically, between public investment made and estimated return, thus contributing to better political decisions and to the positive implications of increasing public investment in sport.

Public policies in sport and good governance adopted by local authorities aim to promote healthier habits and widespread participation in sport. However, little is known about the use of policy instruments by Portuguese municipalities to assess its implementation, evaluation and monitoring. At the same time, there is insufficient data available to evaluate political action and local sports development, making it difficult to assess this progress. Therefore, this research was designed to measure satisfaction with the current level of development in municipalities according to different sports development indicators. We followed an exploratory methodology using quantitative-descriptive and inferential analysis. Data was collected through a questionnaire between November 2024 and January 2025 with 937 responses obtained after validation. Results show a level of agreement between genders regarding satisfaction with the level of sports development, sports services and facilities, while transparency does not show encouraging results due to high level of non-formed opinion. There is also a high level of agreement on policy priorities and the influence of political orientation on public investment in sports. Municipalities play a key role in promoting local sports and modernizing cities and sport facilities, being essential to keep studying their action in different perspectives to measure good governance in sports development and political transparency perception.