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Res. J. Sport. Sci. Vol., 1 (1), 6-9, 2013
6
Sports Motivation in Three-Athlon
Champions
Nasser Bai1*, Seyed Mohammad Niazi2, Amir Dana3
1Department of Physical Education, Azadshahr Branch, Islamic Azad
University, Azadshahr, Iran
2Department of Physical Education, jiroft Branch, Islamic Azad
University, jiroft, Iran
3Department of Physical Education, Aliabad Katoul Branch, Islamic
Azad University, Aliabad Katoul, Iran
*Corresponding Author Email: nasser_bay@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT This research aims to survey the sports motivation in
three-Athlon champions. The research population includes all of the
athletes of three-Athlon in city of Mashhad (100 individuals).
According to the small size of the population, all of the athletes were
considered as the samples. Winberg standard questionnaire (Reasons
for Participation in Competitive Sport and Physical Activity (RPCSPA)
was used for measuring 8 sub-scales of entertainment and fun,
competition, social energy, teamwork, preparedness, intrinsic
motivation, extrinsic motivation, and energy discharge. The RPCSPA
questionnaire was a closed-answer questionnaire including 31
questions, and each of the questions has 5 items, and each examinee
selects one of those 5 items. Friedman test at level p≤5% was used
for the research hypotheses. The research results showed that the
motivation priority of athletes in three-Athlon were respectively
competition, social energy, preparedness, teamwork, intrinsic
motivation, extrinsic motivation, entertainment-fun and energy
discharge. These results were significant at level p≤0.01.
KEYWORDS Three-Athlon Athletes, Motivation, Competition.
INTRODUCTION
Motivation is the key for performing any task including sports, business and any other important
and competitive effort. Motivation should be in relation with different factors in order to stimulate
and control the behavior (Winberg, 2000). Many positive and negative factors affect the
performance of athletes and the resultant of these factors shape the individuals’ motivation for
participating in the competition. Also based on these motivations, the athletes’ sport orientation
varies. Athletes who just step into the competition for the sake of winning and gaining results
have different sports motivation than the athletes who step into the competition with determined
targeting such as: experiencing, improving skills, entertainment, fun and etc., and this
motivation shows its effect on the result of the competition and the performance of athletes
(Sheikh-Al, 1997).
On the other hand, recognizing the goals and motivations of the participants in the sports is very
important. This recognition could cause the managers, planners and the coaches to provide
appropriate conditions and facilities for the athletes. Studying different research results shows
that in the society individuals with different motivations participate in the recreational -sports and
championship activities. Maybe the main question about participating in sports is that whether
the individual is born as an athlete or sports friendly or the interest to sports is created in
him/her through environment and society?. Whether the sports motivation of children and adults
RESEARCH
JOURNAL OF
SPORT SCIENCES
RJSS
Vol 1 (1): 6-9
http://www.rjssjournal.com
ISSN: 2148-0834
Copyright © 2013
Res. J. Sport. Sci. Vol., 1 (1), 6-9, 2013
7
in competition are at the same level or not?. Whether the sports motivation of boys and
girls are different? Whether the sports motivation of athletes changes according to their
sports or not?. Answering to these questions is possible through studying the dimensions
of sports motivation in different samples (Kilpatrick, 2005). Sheikh-Al Islami understood
that the most important motivations of individuals for participating in sports classes were
alleviating the physical pains, maintaining health, reducing the life pressures and mental
and psychological distress (Sheikh-Al, 1997). Rouzbayani (2001) also stated that the
goals and motivations of the female participants in sports are maintaining health, gaining
vitality, fun and fitness (Khaleeghi, 2003). Results of Leate et al (2007) showed that
individuals participating in competitive sports are mostly motivated by competing and
winning, elite athletes are mostly motivated by reaching their goal and increasing their
confidence, and non-athlete participants are mostly motivated by learning the skills
(Leate, 2007).
Taylor research results (2006) showed that no difference exists between the motivations
of individuals participating in sports. Research results of Gareth et al (2006) showed that
priorities of motivations of individuals participating in competitive sports respectively
include: socialization, making friends, preparedness, rewards, competition, finding a job
and developing the skills. On the other hand, awareness about the motivation status of
athletes and controlling it is one of the prerequisites of progress for all of the sport
teams and great coaches. Some of the coaches consider the player’s power of
personality as the most important criterion for choosing a player, because if the desire
for competing and desire for victory are high in an athlete he/she will never fail at
competing with his/her opponent and he/she will never want to surrender and defeat in
front of the opponent, even if he/she is in a lower level than the opponent in terms of
skills. It seems that also the desire for victory and winning in the athlete directs him/her
toward efforts and hard work.
Thus the coaches should recognize these motivations and they should modify them and
give them the right direction in different sports situations (Smith, 1998). On the other
hand, most of the conducted researches in the field of benefits of physical, mental and
sports movements are sustained and focused, while the individuals’ motivations for
participating in three-Athlon is less considered from this aspect, thus the researcher tries
to study the sports motivation of athletes in three-Athlon.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This research is a descriptive research. Participants of this research are all of the
athletes of city of Mashhad. Based on the fact that the total number of the population
was 100 individuals, the whole population was considered as the participant. Winberg et
al (2000) standard questionnaire (RPCSPA) was used for measuring the sports
motivation. The mentioned questionnaire was a closed-answer questionnaire, including
31 questions and each question had 5 items, and each of the examinees should choose
one of them. Thus the data extraction was performed easily. This questionnaire has 8
scales of entertainment and fun, competition, social energy. Teamwork, preparedness,
intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and energy discharge. After collecting the
questionnaires the information were entered to the computer and they were analyzed by
the use of SPSS WIN software version 16 in two sections of descriptive statistics and
inferential statistics. Friedman test at level p≤5% was used for research hypotheses.
RESULTS
According to the research descriptive findings, 100 athletes of three-Athlon within the
age range of 24±2.2, height 172±1 cm, weight 68±1.4 kg and sports history 3±2.21
participated in this study. The research results showed that the highest score of
motivation of three-Athlon athletes were respectively for competition, social energy,
Res. J. Sport. Sci. Vol., 1 (1), 6-9, 2013
8
preparedness, teamwork; intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, entertainment-fun
and energy discharge (table 1).
Table 1. Friedman test results related to comparing the priority of motivation of
athletes in three-Athlon.
Motivation Statistical Index
Mean
SD
Chi-square
df
Sig.
Competition
1.63
0.48
24.232
6
0.01*
Social energy
1.62
0.63
Preparedness
1.57
0.46
Teamwork
1.55
0.60
Intrinsic motivation
1.54
0.48
Extrinsic motivation
1.53
0.74
Entertainment
1.52
0.41
Energy discharge
1.51
0.37
*At significance level of p≤0.05 it is meaningful.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
Research findings showed that competition is the first motivation of athletes for
participating in the three-Athlon and after that there are other motivations; in a way that
the order and priority of these motivations are also different and significant. Leate et al
(2007) showed that highest amount of motivation in individuals participating in sports is
winning and competing (Leate, 2007).
In a research Winberg et al (2000) studied the motivation of participating in swimming
over 122 boys and 150 girls. The results showed that the motivation of athletes
participating in swimming respectively includes: competition, social energy,
preparedness, and teamwork (Winberg, 2000). Kilpatrick et al compared the motivations
of male and female university student runners and they showed that the university
students participate in the sports activities with more motivation for competing and
winning (Kilpatrick, 2005). Although there are still lots of questions about the three-
Athlon sport, the current research findings show that through recognizing the motivation
and reasons for participation of individuals and also recognizing other individual,
economic and social features of them it is possible to make appropriate policies and
plans according to the cultural and ecological conditions of each city and region.
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