Research and innovation have always played a prominent role in elite sport. Human performance provokes immense scientific curiosity about what underpins the capabilities of top performers. Exponential technological growth is enabling access to areas of sport science and medicine which have largely been inaccessible. Yet, when it comes to athlete health and performance, sport organisations, coaches and practitioners are often, understandably, resistant to change. There can be a disconnect between sport's ideals of being innovative and progressive and what happens in reality. Writing in the journal Healthcare, Jain (2017) discusses the challenges of connecting innovation with frontline practice in the health care sector. He uses the terms `change layer`, the imaginary place where innovation, visionary ideas and those who have them sit, and `reality layer`, where the day-to-day work is done and the care is delivered. The change and reality layers are both necessary, but they rarely mix, so ultimately the care that is delivered or the experience of the patient seldom changes. Elite sport has similar challenges.
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