As part of the event, attended by more than 150 representatives of European cities, capitals, and associations, active promotion of Maribor and Slovenia as a sports destination took place.

The Maribor City Office, in cooperation with the Maribor Sports Association, Sports Facilities Maribor, the Maribor-Pohorje Tourist Board and public company Marprom, applied for the title Maribor - European City of Sport 2018. The application was successful, and European Parliament in Brussels hosted the official handover of the title to all the winners in three categories: European Capital of Sport, European Cities of Sport, and European Communities of Sport.

The city of Maribor is widely known for its many traditional international sports events, from the famous Golden Fox and high-profile matches by the most successful football club in Slovenia to swimming, tennis, volleyball and other sports competitions; according to estimates by the Maribor-Pohorje Tourist Board, sports tourism in the Maribor-Pohorje destination accounts for up to 40% of all revenues from overnight stays and with its title obtained the Styrian capital wants to further consolidate its position as an idyllic location for the performance of top sporting events and unforgettable actively coloured tourist experiences.

The first weekend after the official start as a European City of Sport 2018 will be followed by sports events, among them will be an international children's ski race Little Fox organized by ASK Branik Maribor in cooperation with Visit Pohorje and other partners of the event.

In 2018, Little Fox will be followed by various sporting events. Next to the planned local events, it is already confirmed that Maribor will host several international events:

• The Alpine Skiing World Cup Golden Fox
• European Basketball Championships for veterans
• European Taekwondo Championships for Juniors and Members
• European Kickboxing Championships
• Women's World Ice Hockey Championships
• Introductory competitions for the European Mountain Bike Championships

Under the title of the European City of Sport, the Municipality of Maribor will follow the following goals: to increase the promotion of Maribor as a destination for sports tourism; increase the number of foreign visitors at sport events; increase the attendance of sports events in the city; increase the number of active residents in the city; increase the use of public sports infrastructure; and increase the number of tours by domestic and foreign club teams as well as national, European, and world competitions, tours, and championships.