GENEVA, April 25 (Xinhua) -- A new report released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on Saturday shows that innovation and intellectual property (IP) use in the sports industry are rapidly expanding.
According to the WIPO Technology SPARK report, more than 65,700 sports-related inventions were recorded between 2016 and 2025, along with over 1.25 million trademarks and more than 70,000 industrial designs.
Over the decade through 2025, sports-related patent filings increased at an average annual rate of 7.6 percent, compared with 4.4 percent for overall patent filings. Trademark registrations in the sports sector grew by 6.1 percent, nearly double the global average, while industrial designs rose by 8.3 percent, also significantly outpacing overall growth.
Although filing volumes from low- and middle-income economies remain relatively low, their sports-related IP activity is growing at double-digit rates. This trend highlights the role of sports as an accessible entry point for innovation and as a means of raising IP awareness in developing countries, the report noted.
IP activity varies widely across different sports. Golf, swimming, and racket sports are among the most patent-intensive disciplines, driven by continuous advancements in equipment, materials, and performance technologies.
WIPO also announced the winners of the 2026 World Intellectual Property Day Youth Video Competition. Launched in January, the competition invited participants to submit 90-second videos under the theme "Game Changers: IP Powering Sports Innovation." A total of 182 entries were received from 43 countries.
The first prize was awarded to Kang Cheng of China for the video "Sound of Victory: Bridging the Esports Frontier through Accessible Patents," which demonstrates how innovative technologies enable athletes with vision impairments to participate in esports.
World Intellectual Property Day is celebrated on April 26 each year and this year's theme is "IP and Sports: Ready, Set, Innovate". ■
