"The Power of Nutrition in Sports Volunteering"

 The role of nutrition in maintaining the health and fitness of sports volunteers 

Abstract

Food plays an important role in maintaining health and fitness, especially for active people such as athletes. Therefore, when organizing a sports event, it is assumed that people will be performing physically demanding tasks  such as: B. Volunteers should also pay attention to their diet. Although the importance of nutrition in sports has been widely researched, the impact of nutrition on athletes may not be fully understood. Volunteers often have to engage in varying levels of physical and mental activity that can impact their nutritional needs. 

. A qualitative study was conducted using in-depth personal interviews (IDI) with 17 sports volunteers with experience in organizing various sports events. Participants were purposefully selected based on certain inclusion criteria, such as active participation in volunteer sports activities (having at least 2 years of volunteer experience) and volunteer experience in sporting events of various sizes. 

The aim of the interviews was to understand  eating habits, nutritional awareness, and the impact of diet on health and physical fitness. Data were transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis, with emphasis on coding responses and identifying recurring themes. Most participants, due to their busy lifestyle and lack of time, did not attach much importance to their diet and made random food choices. Few volunteers were aware of what physically demanding tasks they had to complete during volunteering and consciously adjusted their diet. The majority of volunteers relied on less reliable nutrition sources, such as blogs and social media, instead of trusted knowledge sources. 

The study found that many volunteers in sports  are not aware of the impact of nutrition on  fitness and health. This group needs nutrition education  to raise awareness about the importance of a balanced diet in conjunction with increased physical activity. It is also recommended to ensure better nutrition at sporting events and encourage the use of specialized sources of information on healthy eating.