Singapore named best sports city in Asia

Singapore has been named the best sports city in Asia at this year's Sport Accord International Convention in Quebec. CEO of Singapore Sports Council Lim Teck Ying said, "We are pleased to be named the best sports city in Asia and we are committed towards building a diverse events strategy, one that will help us create a dynamic and sustained sporting culture in Singapore." Globally, this year's top spot went to the 2012 Olympic host city, London, who ended Melbourne's reign as the number one sports city for the past three consecutive awards. Melbourne finished second, while fellow Australian city Sydney came in third. The cities were assessed on a diverse range of criteria, which include the number of federations hosted, the calibre of events currently being bid for, facilities and venues, transport, accommodation, government support, security, legacy, public sports interest, quality of life and marketing. Cities are also graded according to the number of annual sports and major events held or won between 2008 and 2016. Since 2008, Sporting Singapore has hosted a series of high-profile sports events, including the Formula One SingTel Singapore Grand Prix.