Greetings from ISPO Munich
From left: Jeff Panis (Innova Marketing), Sam Ferrans (Innova Strategic Partnerships), Rene Mengel (Innova Europe General Manager), Karl Olaf Kappel (Innova Europe Sales Manager), and Truls Vik (Innova Europe Team Manager) at the European Disc Golf Festival in Tallinn, Estonia.
European Growth
We are thrilled to announce the formation of Innova Europe. This new venture, based in Pärnu, Estonia, marks a significant milestone in the growth and accessibility of disc golf across Europe.
“Innova Europe is all about making it easier for players and shops to access our full range of products. We’re planting roots in Europe, with a home base in Estonia. This venture offers us loads of opportunities to grow the sport and the brand, making Innova the number one choice for disc golf enthusiasts in Europe.” — Sam Ferrans, Innova Strategic Partnerships
Rene Mengel, founder and owner of DiscSport, will serve as part-owner and General Manager of Innova Europe. With a lifelong passion for sales and entrepreneurship, Rene has been a key figure in the European disc golf scene since 2008. DiscSport has grown from a local retailer to a major distributor serving players across Europe.
Innova Events & Team
In an effort to grow our presence in Europe, Innova serves as presenting sponsor of the PCS Open, a Disc Golf Pro Tour Elite Series event hosted in Øverås, Norway. The event showcases the vibrant culture and landscape of Norwegian disc golf and highlights our growing commitment to international growth of the sport. Notably, Innova Star Team’s Eveliina Salonen made history as the 2024 PDGA World Champion after her stellar performance in Lynchburg, Virginia, exemplifying the world-class talent emerging from Europe. Truls Vik, our European Team Manager, joined Innova in 2023 to support European team members and cultivate the next generation of European champions.
Inspired to Innovate
In 1982, Harold Duvall won his first Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) World Championships. In that same year, his friend and mentor, Dave Dunipace, was creating a novel disc design aimed at evolving frisbee golf into a dynamic sport. In 1983, Dave completed his design and the first beveled-edge disc, the original Eagle, was approved by the PDGA for competition. Together with Harold’s brother Charlie and their friend Tim Selinske, these four friends co-founded Innova Champion Discs and changed the sport forever.
In the forty years since, Innova introduced the most robust catalog of discs and equipment in the industry and our people continue to develop and industry-changing solutions.
The Choice of Champions
Innova Champion Discs is proud to sponsor a variety of athletes and ambassadors from around the world. Our sponsored athletes represent disc golf’s most talented and promising competitors. Their primary goals are competition-related, ranging from success at the junior levels, up to the elite professional. Innova has maintained a winning tradition since our first World Championship title in 1983. Together with our sponsored athletes we preserve a standard of excellence in competition.
Let’s Continue Working Together
Collaboration is a key component to innovation and we look forward to continuing conversations with you. Contact information for our team is available below.
