ABSTRACT
Sport and innovation are two intrinsically linked concepts. Athletes need innovation in order to improve continually their performance and athletes in quest for better results facilitate many innovations. Athletes include elite athletes but also amateur athletes and leisure sport participants. However, the level and mode of involvement in innovation differs. While there are few numbers available to quantify innovation in sport, new trends and developments in sports in all of the aforementioned categories are abundant. The intention indicates to what extent an innovation was developed by purpose or rather accidentally. Sources of innovation can be persons, organizations and inter-organizational settings. Time refers to the innovation process and its different phases. Innovation in sport means first and foremost technological innovation of sport equipment, gear and infrastructure. One perspective on product innovation is the marketing-driven perspective. In this perspective, innovation is part of the marketing strategy where the product as one element of the marketing mix needs to evolve constantly.
