The BBC has announced that the 68th edition of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards will take place at Salford’s MediaCity on Sunday, 19 December.
Presenting the BBC One show in front of a live studio audience and millions more at home, Gary Lineker, Clare Balding, Gabby Logan and Alex Scott will celebrate a sensational 12 months of incredible sporting action as well as champion the many unsung heroes in our communities who do so much inspiring work at grassroots level.
Following cancellations and postponements of major events in 2020, sport burst back into life this year as England’s footballers reached the final of the Euros, before the Olympics and Paralympics made it a golden summer.
Other standout moments saw Emma Raducanu make history at the US Open tennis, Europe’s golfers win the Solheim Cup and Chelsea claim the Champions League.
The Premier League, FA Cup and cricket and rugby seasons were full of drama, and Lewis Hamilton’s thrilling battle to retain the Formula 1 world title has been another highlight of a brilliant sporting year.
Hamilton won the Sports Personality of the Year award for the second time in 2020 after claiming his seventh F1 world championship.
Commenting on the 2021 ceremony, Director of Sport, Barbara Slater, said:
“With sporting events getting back to some normality and our teams and athletes achieving great things, this year has been one of the most memorable for many reasons. The awards ceremony in Salford will have a lot to reflect on and it’s something the whole BBC Sport team are looking forward to delivering on December 19.”
The nominees for BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2021 will be revealed on Monday, 13 December at 8.30am on BBC One during BBC Breakfast, while voting for the flagship award will be open to the public during the live programme itself on 19 December.
Alongside the flagship Sports Personality of the Year award, viewers can also vote for the BBC’s World Sport Star of the Year via the BBC Sport website.
This year’s BBC SPOTY Unsung Hero award is supported by Made by Sport, an organisation that champions the power of sport to change lives and raises vital funds to support it.
The Unsung Hero award celebrates individuals that give up their own free time to help others take part in grassroots sports. More information about this year’s award can be found via: bbc.co.uk/unsunghero.
BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2021 will be broadcast live on BBC One on Sunday, 19 December.
