VOLUNTEERISM IN INTERNATIONAL SPORTS EVENTS: VOLUNTEERS’ LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE AS AN INFLUENCING FACTOR IN KL 2017 SEA GAMES

Whilst preparing for superb infrastructure for the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games 2017, the training for selected volunteers of the games also took place concurrently. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) was given the responsibility to conduct systematic training and provide fundamental knowledge on ASEAN to the volunteers. This article reports on the study that identifies i) the level of knowledge on ASEAN among the volunteers particularly in regards to economic and political perspectives and ii) the resources they used to obtain information on ASEAN. Employing a quantitative approach, this study drew on data gathered from questionnaires that were distributed to 1,418 volunteers from various ethnic groups. The findings show that the level of knowledge among the volunteers on ASEAN is moderate. The findings also point to the use of mass media and internet as major resources to obtain information on ASEAN. This study implies that it is significant to impose on a systematic and interactive approach to deliver knowledge about ASEAN to the volunteers.