Purpose: This conceptual paper proposes an intellectual capital (IC) framework dedicated to elite athletes (EA) to demonstrate the usefulness of IC on individual persons. Thus, it connects EA with the concept of IC.

Design/methodology/approach: The paper is inspired by the classical IC dimensions (human capital, structural capital and relational capital), which are used to develop the IC framework for EA. An exemplary case study is used to validate the framework.

Findings: It is argued that there is a need to adapt the traditional IC framework for EA. Therefore, this paper proposes a specific IC framework consisting of natural capital, sports capital and media capital. Research limitations/implications: This paper deals with EA and the sports industry, but should be extended to other sectors where aspects such as image and celebrity represent significant intangible resources.

Practical implications: The proposed IC framework can help EA and their managers to better understand how IC value is created.

Originality/value: This paper extends the IC concept to other fields of application, i.e. EA, and thus individual persons. © 2021, Roberto Aprile, Mario Nicoliello and Susanne Durst.