MELBOURNE must act to safeguard its title as sporting capital of the world, a conference was told yesterday.
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State governments had taken the Melbourne Cup carnival for granted and provided ''next to nothing'' for more than 150 years, the Sport and the Melbourne Economy conference heard.
![Taken for granted: Melbourne's annual racing carnival. Photo: Paul Rovere Taken for granted: Melbourne's annual racing carnival. Photo: Paul Rovere](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/2949f831-3181-4130-a8bf-a02110302f43.jpg/r0_0_729_309_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The carnival is an ''unsung hero'' in terms of its economic contribution to the state, Victoria Racing Club chief executive Dale Monteith told an audience at Victoria University.
The racing carnival contributes about $700 million a year to the Australian economy.
Victoria University's Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living director Hans Westerbeek said Melbourne must expand its sports infrastructure to the western suburbs if it wants to retain its status.
AFL chief Andrew Demetriou said football contributes $3.9 billion to the Australian economy, including $2.1 billion to Victoria.
The proximity of Melbourne's sports precinct to the city is a ''major competitive advantage'', Tennis Australia chief executive Steve Wood said.
Melbourne supports 17 professional sports teams while Beijing supports three, Berlin five and New York supports 10.