Introduction: Today, tourism industry is one of the important sources of income and is one of the factors affecting cultural exchanges between countries and as the world's most comprehensive service industry, it has a special place. Sport tourism is a new form of tourism in recent decades, So that tourism and sport are interconnected and complementary. Sport tourism is a fast growing business which is played by an important economic and political role and has become a very strategic topic. Therefore, in this research, we are going to study and prioritize the factors affecting sport tourism in West Azarbaijan province.
Methods: This is a descriptive-analytic study that is field-based in terms of collecting information. For this purpose, a researcher-made questionnaire with reliability (α = 0.89) was used. The statistical population of the study, managers and experts involved in tourism and sport in West Azarbaijan province were selected. In this research, Friedman test was used to prioritize factors affecting sport tourism in West Azarbaijan province. Descriptive statistics including mean and standard deviation were used using spss22 software.
Results: The results of the study showed that the following factors are the most important factors affecting sport tourism in West Azarbaijan province and have a great impact on the development of sport tourism in the province. 1- National and International Antiquities held in the province. 2- The prominence of the province due to the presence of one of the country's sport poles in a special field (such as volleyball). 3- Natural and historical attractions of the province. 4- Special culture of the region and hospitality. 5- Proper weather conditions. Conclusion: Regarding the results that indicate the importance of national and international events in attracting sports tourists, It should be said that factors such as sporting infrastructure are considered standard and suitable especially for sports such as volleyball which are