Abstract
This paper aims to research the technology level of sports industry, through analyzing the technology gap between Korea and other major countries (USA, Europe, Japan, and China), and provide a list of technologies to be prioritized for R&D investment by conducting an analysis of the strategic importance of various element technologies. The results of the analysis showed that the technology level of Korean sports industry currently stands at 70.5% of the country with the most advanced technology (the USA), and that the technology gap amounts to 4.8 years. It was also found that the USA is the country with the most advanced technology (100%) at present, followed by Europe (91.1%), Japan (88.3%), Korea (70.5%), and China (61.2%). To reduce the technology gap, we established a Strategic Zone (SZ) and derived three element technologies including 'design and production technologies for sports and game equipment' in the $1^{st}$ tier, nine element technologies including '3D motion analysis and simulation technology' in the $2^{nd}$ tier, and four element technologies including 'fitness/health promotion and management technology' in the $3^{rd}$ tier. The significance of this research is that it included five major technology categories of the sports industry in its analysis, selected an expert on sports industry technologies using the delphi method. Therefore, the results of this study may be suitable for use as basic data in establishing the R&D strategy for the future development of the sports industry.