Melbourne was recently crowned Sport Business Ultimate Sport City of the Decade at the 10 Year Anniversary Awards in Switzerland.

Melbourne has also won the gong for World Ultimate Sports City three consecutive times (2006, 2008 and 2010), and came second to Olympic host city London in 2012 and 2013. Melbourne was also named the best sports city in the 'large city category' in each of those years and received awards for best event strategy and best sports infrastructure.

Major events in Victoria

Hosting major sporting events provides an opportunity for Victoria to put itself on the world stage and create a lasting legacy for the people of Victoria.

Melbourne winning the title as the world's 'Best Sports City' comes from hosting numerous highly successful events over recent years. Events such as the 2010 UCI Road Cycling World Championships, the 2011 President's Cup Golf, the 2012 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, 2014 World Cup of Golf, the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, and the International Champions Cup (football) have all strengthened Melbourne's reputation as the best location in the world for hosting major sporting events.

Victoria also has a strong track record for hosting well known annual major sporting events including the Spring Racing Carnival, FORMULA 1 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 $1.8 billion each year to the Victorian economy. See the Visit Victoria calendar of events for a list Victorian major events.