Major Events


Melbourne is the ‘Ultimate Sports City’


Melbourne is the ‘ultimate sports city’ in terms of hosting major events, according to an analysis conducted by London-based research firm ArkSports Limited. The analysis ranked the top twenty sporting event cities in the world according to a range of criteria, including the number of major sporting events held or won up to 2010, facilities, transport, government support, accommodation, weather, public interest, legacy and quality of life.

Melbourne beat joint second Paris and Sydney, topping the rankings in several criteria including the number of major events held and won, government support, public interest and accommodation and came second in most others.

Melbourne’s status as the ‘ultimate sports city’ comes only months after the city hosted the highly successful 2006 Commonwealth Games. Victoria also has a strong track record for hosting annual major sporting events including the Spring Racing Carnival, FORMULA 1TM Australian Grand Prix, MotoGP and the Australian Tennis Open. Melbourne has secured the 12th FINA World Swimming Championships for March 2007.

The top 10 cities according to ArkSports and in order are Melbourne, Paris, Sydney, Berlin, London, Madrid, New York, Beijing, Tokyo and Cape Town.

Major Events in Victoria


The Victorian sporting events calendar attracts participants and spectators from across Australia and overseas, adding approximately $1.2 billion each year to the Victorian economy. new window Tourism Victoria's calendar of events lists all Victorian major events.

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 new window Victorian Major Events Company, Sport and Recreation Victoria finalises contract negotiations with the relevant organisation and undertakes contract management between the State and the major event.

Current events that are contract managed by Sport and Recreation Victoria include:
Events previously supported by Sport and Recreation Victoria include:

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