Melbourne’s Status as an Olympic City: Past, Present, and Future Perspectives

Abstract

This study investigates Melbourne’s status as an Olympic city. Beginning with its successful hosting of the 1956 ‘Friendly Games’, Melbourne has subsequently established a vibrant Olympic legacy. This has included the development of world-class sports facilities, especially in the Olympic Park precinct, with the focal point being the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The city has also created Olympic connections via the National Sports Museum, the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia and the Victorian Olympic Council. In addition, Melbourne has earned itself the mantle of Australia’s sporting capital by way of hosting numerous major national and international sporting events. The paper systematically outlines the historical context for Melbourne’s Olympic legacy and by doing so highlights the rivalry and strained relationship that has always existed with Sydney, Australia’s largest city and the host of the 2000 Olympic Games.