Sport and recreation today have become strongly connected factors of sports tourism which are as such a way of choosing the travel of sports tourists to a sports promoted destination. The interdependence of tourism and sports has created a successive relationship between them and according to that a specific tourist form was created - sports tourism. In terms of optimal use of the needs of its resources of a destination for the development of sports tourism, destination must know very well its capabilities and sports offer, however, it is always necessary to analyze the future demand for sports in order for the destination to stand out and survive in the tourism market. sports destination. The aim of the research in this paper is to present sports tourism in theory and on practical examples in the world and in Croatia as an important selective form and component of generating large tourist revenues. The purpose of this paper is to point out the importance of existence, survival and future prospects of sports tourism and its importance in overall tourism because it is increasingly evolving in modern times, along with the needs and awareness of tourists about the importance of sports in recreational activities.