This paper encompasses a thorough analyzes into the protection of athletes' image in the Republic of Croatia with an emphasis on legal aspects that include personality rights and intellectual property. The paper deals with the evolution of sports law, analyzes the concept of an athlete's image, explores the complexity of the relationship between sponsorship and athletes' image and the legal institutes that enable the protection of rights arising from an athlete's image. The paper also highlights the importance of personality rights within protection of athletes' image rights, including the right to privacy, the right to a personal name, the right to one's own image and the right to publicity. Furthermore, the protection of the image through the prism of intellectual property, especially trademarks, is explored and how the rights to an athlete's image can be exploited for commercial purposes. Given that this matter is not legally regulated in Croatian legislation nor is it significantly represented in the practice of Croatian courts, the paper emphasizes the legal challenges and the necessity for additional regulation in the field of athlete image protection, not only in the Republic of Croatia but also throughout contemporary society.