Investigating the effects of sport tourism on environmental sustainability

Today, the environmental crisis is becoming a global problem and extensive efforts are being made by countries and international and regional associations to deal with pollution and environmental degradation. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of sports tourism on Environmental sustainability from the viewpoint of tourism and sports experts. 384 participants were selected as a statistical sample, using the Cochran formula. The research instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire. Content validity was evaluated by experts in the field of sports management and tourism the reliability of the questionnaire through a pilot study with 30 participants and Cronbach’s Alpha (0/80) respectively. After distributing and collecting questionnaires, 321 return questionnaires were analyzed by SPSS V. 24 and Amos V. 24 software, using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The result of exploratory factor analysis shows that 2 hidden factors, can explain 54. 48% variance of the variable. Were named as the agent of the positive effects and the cause of environmental negative effects. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis also indicated that "the damage to prime areas through the spread of garbage" is a factor in the negative effects, and the "positive environmental factors" are the most important component in each of the factors.