It comes as work forges ahead on the $17 million build of the Northern Inland Centre of Sporting Excellence, the ongoing success of the Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre (AELEC), and growing calls for a new $30 million year-round aquatic centre.

Australian Tentpegging Association president Barry Biffin, of Tamworth, said the success of the four-day competition, featuring teams from Bahrain, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, India and Pakistan, helped put Tamworth on the international sporting map.

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Tamworth was only one of four countries in the entire world to secure hosting rights.

“It all went well,” Mr Biffin said.

Tamworth Regional Council business and community director John Sommerlad said each visitor to the city for a sporting event spent an average of $130 to $150 per night.

“Sports and events are an important component in our economic development strategy and the reason we focus on it is because of the strong value it has to our local economy,” he said.

“AELEC is going full steam ahead (nearly booked up for 300 days every year) and some of those are big-money events.

“The Sporting Centre of Excellence will take us to another level. Our synthetic athletics track will be the only of its type in the region north of Newcastle.

“What council hopes to do with the aquatic centre will provide more opportunities for aquatic events.”

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Tamworth Business Chamber president Jye Segboer said large-scale sporting and other events helped provide economic security to the region.

“Certainly I believe it strengthens everything about the business sector, including retail hospitality and the service sector like service stations, supermarkets,” Mr Segboer said.

“It’s great the region can deliver on sporting competitions with these facilities, but also to accommodate those people who visit as apart of it.”