The BBC has announced the top 10 contenders on the shortlist for the 2014 Sports Personality of the Year to be held in Glasgow on December 14.
The nominees, who were put together by an expert panel of sports specialists chosen by the corporation, were revealed live on BBC One’s The One Show on Monday night (November 24) by 2012 SPOTY winner Sir Bradley Wiggins.
Real Madrid and Wales footballer Gareth Bale, World Equestrian Games dressage champion Charlotte Dujardin, boxer Carl Froch, Paralympic skier Kelly Gallagher and guide Charlotte Evans are nominated and Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton were the first five nominees to be revealed.
They were joined by Open golf champion Rory McIlroy, European 10,000m champion Jo Pavey, Commonwealth Games gold medallists Adam Peaty (swimming) and Max Whitlock (gymnastics, and Sochi 2014 Olympic skeleton champion Lizzy Yarnold.
British sport’s top 10 shortlisted contenders will now compete for the public vote on the night of the show, which will be presented by Gary Lineker, Clare Balding and Gabby Logan, live on BBC One on Sunday, December 14, starting at 7.40pm.
Voting details, including phone numbers for each nominee, will be announced during the live programme, while viewers will once again be able to cast their votes online via the BBC Sport website by registering in advance.
#Awards: @BBCSport announces top 10 shortlist for @BBCSPOTY 2014 – Full details here: http://t.co/axRgtRltwU pic.twitter.com/FmLuyLRifg
— Sport On The Box (@SportOnTheBox) November 24, 2014
This year’s Sports Personality extravaganza comes from the 12,000-capacity SSE Hydro Arena in Glasgow, with further tickets for the event released by the BBC following the announcement of the top 10 contenders for the coveted award.
The two-hour long BBC Sports Personality programme will celebrate an unforgettable year of sporting drama, which included the FIFA World Cup, the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics and Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
In addition to the main award of Sports Personality of the Year, there will also be the usual awards for Team of the Year, Coach of the Year, Overseas Sports Personality of the Year, Young Sports Personality of the Year, Lifetime Award, Helen Rollason Award and the BBC Get Inspired Unsung Hero Award.
The top 10 shortlist for the main award was decided by a specially selected panel, which was chaired by director of BBC Sport Barbara Slater, consisting of three newspaper sports editors, including Mike Dunn (Then sports editor of the Independent, the i and Evening Standard), Howard Wheatcroft (Express Newspapers Head of Sport) and Alex Butler (Sunday Times).
Pan-sports broadcaster/journalist Alison Mitchell, former nominees in Olympians Rebecca Adlington, Denise Lewis and Paralympic star Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson and BBC Radio 5 Live presenter and former footballer, Jason Roberts were involved in the process.
Chair of SportScotland Louise Martin, BBC Head of TV Sport Philip Bernie and Executive Editor of BBC Sports Personality of the Year Carl Doran also played their part in forming the final shortlist.
With the programme taking place in Glasgow this year, viewers and the audience at the Hydro will be treated to a real Scottish flavour this year.
Along with Simple Minds performing on the programme, which has been previously announced, there will also be live performances from Nicola Benedetti and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.
The programme will also feature a celebration of this year’s major sporting events, including the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.
Tickets for BBC Sports Personality in Glasgow can be purchased online at thessehydro.com, by calling the ticket hotline on 0844 395 4000 or in person from the main box office in the SECC.
BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2014 – Live on BBC One at 7.40pm on Sunday, December 14.
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