Cross-Cultural Translation and Validation of the Chinese Version of the Volunteer Motivations Scale for International Sporting Events

While volunteerism is essential for the successful delivery of international sporting events, most motivation measures have been developed in Western contexts and lack validation in China. With China’s growing role as a host of such events, a culturally adapted and validated tool is needed to accurately capture volunteer motivations. The researchers translated the Volunteer Motivations Scale for International Sporting Events (VMS-ISE) into a Chinese version (VMS-ISE-Ch), which was then validated among Chinese volunteers at the Chengdu 2023 World University Games. This study consisted of three phases. In Phase I, the VMS-ISE underwent translation and cross-cultural adaptation. Phase II involved a pilot study that invited participants ( n  = 30) who had volunteered at the 2022 Winter Olympics to assess the face validity of the VMS-ISE-Ch. In Phase III, the VMS-ISE-Ch was validated with volunteers from the Chengdu 2023 World University Games ( N  = 1,195). Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed that the scale met the criteria for internal consistency, composite reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. The findings indicated that the VMS-ISE-Ch demonstrated a good model fit (comparative fit index [CFI] = .967, Tucker–Lewis index [TLI] = .963, and incremental fit index [IFI] = .967), establishing its reliability for assessing volunteer motivations at international sporting events. The VMS-ISE-Ch provides a practical tool for organizers to better understand volunteer motivations, optimize recruitment strategies, develop targeted training programs, and enhance volunteer engagement and satisfaction, thereby supporting the sustainability of international sports events.