The BBC has confirmed a shortlist of six who will contend for the 2020 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award on Sunday, 20 December, live on BBC One.
The chosen sports stars will now compete for the public vote on the night, where newcomer Alex Scott will join the presenting line-up alongside Gary Lineker, Clare Balding and Gabby Logan, to look back on a truly unusual year of sport in front of a huge virtual audience and millions of BBC One viewers.
England cricketer Stuart Broad, jockey Hollie Doyle, boxer Tyson Fury, seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and six-time world snooker champion Ronnie O’Sullivan are the six contenders, which were chosen by a specially selected BBC panel.
This year’s Sports Personality of the Year show will be broadcast live from Media City UK in Salford and not only celebrate the very best of elite sport this year, but will also reflect how ordinary members of the public and Unsung Heroes all over the UK have used the power of sport to keep the nation going through challenging times.
Last year Ben Stokes took home the Sports Personality title and much coveted trophy, with Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton coming in second and athlete Dina Asher Smith placing third.
The public can vote by phone or online on the night for the main award, with full details announced during the show.
Other awards to be announced include Team and Coach of the Year, World Sport Star of the Year and Unsung Hero, while Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford will receive a special award in recognition of his work to raise awareness of child food poverty in the UK.
On joining the presenting team, former Arsenal and England footballer Alex Scott, who now appears as a regular BBC football pundit and host of The One Show, said:
“I’m so excited to join the presenting team for BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Now more than ever it will be amazing to champion those who have stood out this year in their field, as well as highlighting the unsung heroes who have made a positive difference in 2020 despite how challenging the year has been for so many.”
In a year in which sport has been hugely disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, including the postponement of the Olympic Games, Euro 2020 and the Ryder Cup, there has still been lots to play for. The annual BBC show promises to celebrate so much of what has taken place, from the highest level to lockdown heroes at home.
The joy of what sport gives us all, plus 2020’s big achievers, will be celebrated in style and there will be a full review of the year’s best moments, with the show concluding with the crowning of the Sports Personality Of The Year, which the public can vote for on the night.
The show will also feature performances from some of Britain’s biggest music stars, give out awards, including the team and coach of the year, as well as highlight inspirational achievement and unsung heroes from across the UK.
Votes can be cast by phone or online on the evening of Sunday, 20 December and the number to call for each contender will be revealed during the programme.
BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2020 will be broadcast live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 8pm on Sunday, 20 December.
Scroll down for further details on this year’s nominees for the award, or for more information about the ceremony, visit bbc.co.uk/sportpersonality.
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STUART BROAD
Earlier this year, Stuart Broad took 14 wickets in the test-match series against South Africa.
Wickets have been fast-flowing for Broad, who since the start of 2019-21 ICC World Test Championship, is the leading wicket taker with 66, 17 more than second-placed Pat Cummins.
In the summer months, he became only the second England bowler, after James Anderson, to reach 500 Test wickets. The landmark was reached in a series against the West Indies in which he took 16 wickets in two Tests at an average of 10.93 before earning the Player of the Series award.
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HOLLIE DOYLE
Jockey Hollie Doyle broke her own record for the number of winners ridden by a British woman in a year in a stunning 12 months in which she set several landmarks.
Despite racing being suspended for 10 weeks because of the pandemic, Doyle set her new mark in a quicker time and with fewer rides. The 24-year-old rode a historic double on British Champions Day, became the first woman to ride five winners on the same card and claimed her first victory at Royal Ascot.
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TYSON FURY
Boxer Tyson Fury produced a knockout display against rival Deontay Wilder to become the WBC world heavyweight champion.
After a controversial draw in their first bout back in 2018, Fury was keen to seal victory in their Las Vegas rematch. Wilder had held the WBC belt for five years and this fight was his 11th defence, but he was no match for the power and skill of Fury, who knocked the American down twice before his corner threw in the towel. Fury’s win meant he became a two-time heavyweight champion and marked the long road to recovery after his battles with depression.
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LEWIS HAMILTON
Lewis Hamilton has had an incredible year in which he equalled Michael Schumacher’s record of seven Formula 1 world titles.
En route to winning what was his fourth straight title, he surpassed another of Schumacher’s marks to become the most successful F1 driver in terms of Grand Prix victories, beating the German’s previous total of 91.
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JORDAN HENDERSON
Footballer Jordan Henderson enjoyed an incredible 2020 – most notably in captaining Liverpool to win their first league title in 30 years.
His brilliant performances saw him named as the Football Writers’ Player of the Year, receiving more than a quarter of the votes, and also he won Liverpool’s Player of the Year award. He was on the six-man shortlist for the prestigious Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year award and was selected in the PFA Team of the Year.
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RONNIE O’SULLIVAN
Nineteen years after his first World Snooker Championship title, Ronnie O’Sullivan won his sixth in emphatic style at the Crucible.
‘The Rocket’ thrashed Kyren Wilson 18-8 in a one-sided final and at 44 years old at the time of winning, he became the oldest champion since Ray Reardon was victorious aged 45 in 1978. O’Sullivan, one of the sport’s great characters, has now won more ranking titles (37) and more Triple Crown event titles (20) than any other player in history.
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