Major Events
Melbourne is the ‘Ultimate Sports City’

Melbourne is the ‘Ultimate Sports City’ in terms of hosting major events, winning the title in 2008 for the second successive time. The ranking was published in SportBusiness International magazine and follows ArkSports Limited’s analysis of 2006, where Melbourne first won the title as the world’s top sporting event city. Criteria such as the number of major sporting events held or won over a set period, as well as a review of facilities, transport, government support, accommodation, weather, public interest, legacy and quality of life are used to rank cities. Melbourne beat Paris and Sydney in the 2006 analysis, and retained its title in 2008 ahead of Berlin, Sydney, London, Vancouver, Paris, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Madrid and Hong Kong.
Major Events in Victoria
Melbourne’s initial status as the ‘ultimate sports city’ came only months after hosting the highly successful 2006 Commonwealth Games. Since then, Victoria has staged the 12th FINA World Swimming Championships in 2007, the 2008 World Latin Dancesport Championships and secured the UCI Road Cycling World Championships (2010), as well as the internationally prestigious golf event, the Presidents Cup (2011).
Victoria also has a strong track record for hosting well known annual major sporting events including the Spring Racing Carnival, FORMULA 1TM Australian Grand Prix, MotoGP and the Australian Tennis Open.
The Victorian sporting events calendar attracts participants and spectators from across Australia and overseas, adding over $1 billion each year to the Victorian economy. Tourism Victoria's
Sport and Recreation Victoria plays a key role in the coordination of the State Government’s major event strategy. Following a successful bid for a major event by the
Current events that are contract managed by Sport and Recreation Victoria on behalf of the Victorian Government include:
Australian Masters Golf (2008 – 2010)
Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix (2007-2010)
Australian National Dancesport Championships (2009 – 2012)
Australian Open Lawn Bowls (2009 – 2011)
Football (Soccer) Events Package (2006 – 2009)
Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix (2007-2015)
Jayco Herald Sun Tour (2007-2009)
Men’s Hockey Champions Trophy (2009)
Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships (2010)
Parliament of the World’s Religions (2009)
Presidents Cup Golf (2011)
Rip Curl Pro Surfing (2009 – 2011)
Rugby League Events Package (2006 – 2009)
Rugby Union Events Package (2007 – 2010)
Sailing World Cup (2009 – 2011)
UCI Road Cycling World Championships (2010)
UCI Track Cycling World Cup (2008 -2010)
World Superbike Championships (2007-2011)
Previous events contract managed by Sport and Recreation Victoria on behalf of the Victorian Government include:
- Australian Masters Games (2009)
- Australian Open Men’s Golf (2005)
- Australian Open Womens’ Golf (2009)
- CC Cricket Super Series (2005)
Commonwealth Games (2006)
- Commonwealth Youth Games (2004)
- Days in the Diocese (2008)
- Deaflympic Games (2005)
- FINA World Swimming Championships (2007)
- Homeless World Cup (2008)
- World Ten Dance Championship (2004)
- Melbourne Victory vs Juventus match (2008)
- National Triathlon Championships (2005 – 2007)
- Rip Curl Pro Surfing (2001 – 2008)
- Roxy Surfing Festival (2004 – 2008)
- Rugby World Cup (2003)
- Sail Melbourne Regatta (2005 – 2008)
- Skandia Race Week (2007 – 2009)
- Volvo Ocean Race Melbourne Stopover (2005/06)
- Women’s World Cup Road Race (2006 – 2008)
- World Artistic Gymnastic Championships (2005)
- World Hot Air Ballooning Championships (2004)
- World Latin Dance Championship (2008)
- World Lifesaving Championships (2006)
Web Site Updates
DPCD's websites are progressively being updated to reflect the changes following the establishment of the
department. This means you will continue to see some references to the Department for Victorian Communities
(DVC) as changes are being made.