Beyond Event Impacts: Relational and Configurational Pathways to a Sense of Community for the Chinese Nation among Youth Athletes

Sport events can provide settings for interaction and shared experience, yet less is known about how their perceived impacts are associated with broader, superordinate community orientations in multi-ethnic contexts. This study examines how perceived economic and sociocultural impacts of a sport event are associated with youth athletes’ sense of community for the Chinese nation (SCCN), focusing on perceived social support (PSS) and perceived continuity of the Chinese nation (PCN). Survey data were collected from 518 youth athletes participating in the “Run, Youth!” Games in Hotan, Xinjiang, China. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to assess direct, indirect, and moderating associations; combined importance–performance map analysis (cIPMA) examined antecedent importance, performance, and necessity; and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) identified alternative configurations associated with SCCN. PEI and PSCI were positively associated with PSS but not directly with SCCN, while PSS was positively associated with SCCN and mediated both relationships. PCN showed the strongest positive association with SCCN, although its moderating effect on the PSS–SCCN relationship was not supported. In cIPMA, PCN had the highest importance and was the only condition satisfying the NCA necessity criteria. fsQCA identified two pathways to high SCCN: a sociocultural–continuity pathway and a social support–continuity pathway. These findings suggest that sport-event experiences are associated with broader community orientations primarily through relational support and perceived collective continuity, while different combinations of conditions can lead to similar outcomes.