Striving for Excellence - An exhibition on IP and Sport

What do world champion Stéphane Lambiel's ice-skates, top tennis player Roger Federer's racket, and world champion Sergey Bubka's pole vault have in common? They all feature in a lively exhibition on sport and intellectual property currently showing at WIPO. "Striving for Excellence," which opened on World Intellectual Property Day, offers a glimpse of the technological advances that have improved sport both on and off the track for top class athletes, for the millions who play sports for relaxation and health, and for the millions more who share the excitement from their television screens.

Intellectual property (IP) is a major factor in the success of sporting events. Not only does it play a key role in spurring technological developments to improve the performance and safety of athletes, it underpins the commercial opportunities generated by the massive interest in sporting events and in the athletes themselves. IP also fosters development in broadcasting technology, and is pivotal in enabling the public to follow their favorite events in the comfort of their homes.

New materials, new heights

WIPO's exhibition traces the evolution of sports equipment and its impact on sporting performance. When pole vaulting, for example, emerged as a competitive sport in the late 1800s, vaulters used wooden (ash) poles, then bamboo poles with a sharp point. Improved technique and materials enabled athletes literally to reach new heights. The 1896 Olympic record, set with a bamboo pole, was approximately 3.2 meters. In 1957, a 4.48 meter record was set using an aluminum pole. This was upped to 4.80 meters in 1960 with a steel pole. Then came the fiberglass pole, revolutionizing vaulting techniques and breaking the record set with the steel pole the previous year. The current world record for men is 6.14 meters, set in July 1994 by the 6-times world champion, Sergey Bubka of Ukraine.

Other cutting edge technology featured in the exhibition includes:

* Wilson's patented nCode nanotechnology process, whereby tiny silicon oxide crystals are injected into the carbon fibers of tennis rackets to make them stronger and more resilient;

* the adidas-1 "intelligent" running shoe, which contains electronic devices to regulate cushioning in accordance with weather conditions and running surface;

* the Speedo® FASTSKIN FSII swimsuit fabric which, modeled on the skin of a shark, is...