SYDNEY WINS BID TO HOST 2017 WORLD POLO CHAMPIONSHIP

NSW and the Sydney Polo Club will host the 2017 World Polo Championship, a tournament that will see the world's six best nations compete for the world title in Sydney's Hawkesbury region. 

The victory was confirmed overnight by the (FIP) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. "The World Polo Championship is the sport's most prestigious event and I'm thrilled Sydney has been chosen by the 

Federation of International Polo (FIP) as the host of the 2017 event. This is yet another major sporting event secured exclusively for our State by Destination NSW," Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events and Minister for Sport Stuart Ayres.

Polo is a popular sport in Australia, with 50 clubs and associations around the country; half of those in NSW. The NSW Polo Association is the oldest in the country, formed in 1892. The event is a great win for the Hawkesbury region, with more than 5,000 domestic and international visitors expected to spend $3.3 million.

This win continues the State's record of securing exclusive major sporting events. The World Polo Championship shows that NSW is the home of international sport, and forms part of a packed Major Events Calendar.

The tournament will consist of six teams the winner of each geographic region and Australia, the host nation. The tournament was first held in 1987, and is played every three to four years, with the 2015 Championship played in Santiago, Chile in March.