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Pioneer Volunteers: The Role Identity Of Continuous Volunteers At Sport Events, Sheranne Fairley, Christine Green, Danny O'Brien, Laurence Chalip

Danny O'Brien

This study examines the role identity of pioneer volunteers. This research expands current conceptualisations of event volunteers to include those individuals who volunteer in a continuous nature in the lead up to a mega-event. Volunteers (n ¼ 125) who had volunteered in the lead up to the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, as well as during the Games, completed a post-event survey that asked them to respond to open-ended questions about their volunteering experience and identity. Additionally, 10 individuals who were pioneer volunteers at the Sydney Olympics were interviewed 12 years later. Six themes described the experience of pioneer volunteers: friendship …