Effects of Perceived Sustainable Event Operations on Participants’ Safety Psychology, Satisfaction, and Re-Participation Intention in an Indoor Swimming Event

Purpose: This study investigates the influence of perceived sustainable event operations on participants’ safety psychology, satisfaction, and re-participation intention within the context of an indoor swimming competition. Method: Survey data were collected from 520 participants in a 2025 Masters swimming championship. Perceived sustainable event operations were modeled as formative constructs—environmental (ENV), social (SOC), and operational (OP) sustainability—whereas safety psychology (SAF), satisfaction (SAT), and re- participation intention (RE) were specified as reflective constructs. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was performed using SmartPLS 4, with significance testing conducted via bootstrapping (5,000 resamples). Results: The results revealed that SOC had a significant positive association with SAF, whereas ENV and OP sustainability showed no significant effects. SAF was found to be significantly and positively associated with both SAT and RE. Furthermore, specific indirect effects mediated through SAF were significant only for the SOC pathway, while indirect effects for ENV and OP were not statistically significant. Conclusion: These findings suggest that in Masters swimming championships, participants’ safety psychology is primarily shaped by social sustainability cues at various participant touchpoints. Safety psychology functions as a critical mediating mechanism linking perceived sustainable event operations to satisfaction and long-term re-participation intention.