BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2024 LIVE!
One of the landmark annual events of the British sporting calendar is upon us again this evening with several awards recognising sporting greatness, culminating in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Team GB’s women’s 800m Olympic gold medalist Keely Hodgkinson is the overwhelming favourite to scoop the main SPOTY prize this year, 12 months after Lionesses goalkeeper Mary Earps claimed the award for 2023 to succeed England team-mate Beth Mead.
Hodgkinson is joined on the six-person shortlist by England and Real Madrid football star Jude Bellingham, teenage darts sensation Luke Littler, cricketer Joe Root, Para-cyclist Dame Sarah Storey and triathlete Alex Yee.
Other awards being presented tonight include world sport star of the year, young sports personality of the year, coach of the year, team of the year, unsung hero and the Helen Rollason Award for outstanding achievement in the face of adversity. Recently retired cyclist Sir Mark Cavendish will also receive the lifetime achievement award in recognition of a stellar career. Follow the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards live below!
Joe Root
19:14 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Time to recap a record-breaking year for Joe Root.
He is, of course, a contender for the main award tonight.
Voting is open!
19:09 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Just running down the six nominees for the Sports Personality of the Year award.
The contenders are:
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Jude Bellingham
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Keely Hodgkinson
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Luke Littler
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Joe Root
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Sarah Storey
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Alex Yee
Voting is now open!
Class of 2024
19:05 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
The BBC Sports Personality of the Year class of 2024 are all on stage.
…….and here come Alex Scott, Clare Balding and Gabby Logan introduced by David Harewood.
Montage
19:03 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
We are treated to a montage of the best sporting moments from the past year.
Underway
19:01 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
The ceremony is underway.
Not long to go!
18:51 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Less than 10 minutes to go until the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2024 ceremony begins!
Stay tuned…
Presenters
18:45 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Just like last year, Alex Scott, Gabby Logan and Clare Balding will be presenting tonight’s event.
(PA)
Luke Littler soaks it all in
18:40 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Luke Littler has been nominated for the main SPOTY award and Young Sport Personality of the Year award which caps off a surreal 12 months for the teenager.
Though he’s taking the moment in as well as one could expect.
“It’s been crazy. But I’m not one to go on about it,” he told BBC Sport. “I’m just trying to be myself. I’m just a 17-year-old boy.”
(Getty Images)
World Sport Star of the Year nominees
18:35 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
The 2023 World Sport Star of the Year award was won by Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.
The voting for this year’s has already taken place, and the contenders are as follows:
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Simone Biles (Gymnastics)
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Caitlin Clark (Basketball)
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Catherine Debrunner (Para-athletics)
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Armand Duplantis (Athletics)
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Sifan Hassan (Athletics)
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Leon Marchand (Swimming)
What else is happening tonight?
18:30 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
The BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2024 is decided by a public vote and announced at the end of tonight’s show.
Other awards being presented on the night are:
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World Sport Star of the Year
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Helen Rollason award
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Young Sports Personality of the Year
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Unsung Hero
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Coach of the Year
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Team of the Year
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Lifetime Achievement award
Alex Yee reveals plans
18:26 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Olympic and world triathlon champion Alex Yee has revealed exciting plans for the future.
“I don’t feel satisfied with what I’ve done, I still want to keep pushing,” Yee told the BBC.
“I’m still excited and that’s where this marathon project came in. I think four years is a long time to push to LA and I think, the excitement of the marathon, particularly London, was definitely a challenge I was interested in.”
18:20 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
The odds-on favourite to win BBC Sports Personality of the Year, here is the story of how Keely Hodgkinson became the queen of the track.
(AFP via Getty Images)
Behind the scenes
18:15 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Behind the scenes footage ahead of the big night!
Red carpet
18:10 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Legendary Paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds is on the Sports Personality of the Year red carpet.
Legendary Paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds is on the Sports Personality of the Year red carpet – and she’s excited to celebrate everyone’s achievements! #SPOTY pic.twitter.com/NU83St4kip
— Greatest Hits Radio News (@GHRNewsUK) December 17, 2024
Previous SPOTY winners
18:05 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
A yearly tradition since 1954 when the BBC Sport’s Personality of the Year was first held.
12 months ago, Mary Earps joined an illustrious list and below are the last seven winners.
2023: Mary Earps
2022: Beth Mead
2021: Emma Raducanu
2020: Sir Lewis Hamilton
2019: Ben Stokes
2018: Geraint Thomas
2017: Sir Mo Farah
2016: Sir Andy Murray
England goalkeeper Mary Earps has been congratulated by the Prince of Wales after she was crowned 2023 BBC Sports Personality of the Year (David Davies/PA) (PA Wire)
One hour to go!
18:00 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
A reminder that tonight’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2024 ceremony begins in just one hour.
How it all works
17:55 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
It’s still all the play for ahead of tonight’s ceremony, which starts at 7pm GMT and will be broadcast on BBC One.
Voting begins during the ceremony, with votes cast online with a BBC account, via telephone or by scanning a QR code which will be displayed on the screen during the show.
If voting by phone, there will be a different phone number for each nominee.
Cavendish snub
17:50 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Perhaps the most surprising omission from the main SPOTY shortlist is Sir Mark Cavendish, who retired this year after breaking the record for most stage with in Tour de France history.
Though he is set to be honoured tonight in Salford at the BBC ceremony with the lifetime achievement award, his competitive nature has left him with a few frustrations.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t say I hoped to be on the shortlist, but it’s the same as 2021 when I also wasn’t nominated,” he said. “The lifetime award is very nice but, as a competitor, the main award is being shortlisted. That’s my job – to compete. Although a SPOTY award is subjective it’s still a competition.
“A lifetime award is a bit like when I received my knighthood earlier in the year. It’s not something you’re expecting or you work towards. It gets bestowed on you so that’s very nice.”
READ MORE
(AFP via Getty Images)
Nominee: Alex Yee
17:45 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Yee won his first individual Olympic crown, upgrading his silver from Tokyo to gold in an epic sprint finish with New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde.
The young Londoner was also part of the mixed relay quartet that won bronze, before going on to claim a first World Triathlon Series title for good measure.
Great Britain’s Alex Yee with his gold medal following the men’s individual triathlon at the Pont Alexandre III on the fifth day of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in France (David Davies/PA) (PA Wire)
Nominee: Dame Sarah Storey
17:40 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Storey, already Britain’s most successful Paralympian, won gold medals No18 and No19 of her illustrious career, retaining her titles in cycling’s C4-C5 road race and C5 road time trial in Paris.
She also claimed the same double at the World Championships to take her haul of golds at that event to 39.
(AP)
Nominee: Joe Root
17:35 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Root surpassed Alastair Cook’s record of 12,472 to become England’s leading Test run-scorer of all-time.
The Yorkshireman, who made a career-high 269 during the First Test in Pakistan, has just recorded his 36th Test century – another record among Englishman set this year – and has one match to play of the ongoing series in New Zealand.
(AP)
Nominee: Luke Littler
17:30 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Littler became an instant household name with a remarkable run to the final of the World Darts Championship aged just 16.
While he lost that contest to Luke Humphries, he has since claimed both the Premier League Darts and Grand Slam of Darts crowns ahead of this year’s Ally Pally return.
(Getty Images)
Nominee: Jude Bellingham
17:25 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Bellingham enjoyed a remarkable debut season at Real Madrid, scoring 23 goals across all competitions as the Spanish giants won a Champions League and LaLiga double.
The midfielder was also at the heart of England’s run to the final of Euro 2024, scoring the group stage winner against Serbia and a dramatic bicycle-kick leveller to avoid an early exit against Slovakia in the last-16.
(REUTERS)
Nominee: Keely Hodgkinson
17:20 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Team GB’s women’s 800m Olympic gold medalist Keely Hodgkinson is the favourite to be named BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2024.
The 22-year-old was Team GB’s golden girl in Paris, turning her Tokyo silver medal – and two more from the last two World Championships – into a first major global title over 800m.
Hodgkinson went through 2024 unbeaten in her signature two-lap event, retaining her European title and lowering her own British record to become the sixth-fastest woman of all-time along the way.
Keely Hodgkinson said it would be an honour to inspire others (Peter Byrne/PA) (PA Wire)
Latest odds
17:15 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Here’s what the bookies are saying. Looks like it’s going to be a good night for Keely Hodgkinson.
Keely Hodgkinson: 1/4
Luke Littler: 11/4
Joe Root: 50/1
Alex Yee: 66/1
Jude Bellingham: 100/1
Dame Sarah Storey: 100/1
Odds via Betfair
SPOTY nominees
17:10 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Team GB’s women’s 800m Olympic gold medalist Keely Hodgkinson is the red-hot favourite to pick up main SPOTY prize this year.
Also nominated are England and Real Madrid football star Jude Bellingham, teenage darts sensation Luke Littler, cricketer Joe Root, Para-cyclist Dame Sarah Storey and triathlete Alex Yee.
More to come on the nominees…
(Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
Where to watch BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2024
17:05 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
TV channel: BBC One will broadcast the ceremony live and free-to-air in the UK, with coverage starting at 7pm GMT.
Live stream: The BBC Sport website and iPlayer will also air SPOTY online.
Welcome
17:00 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Hello and welcome to the Standard’s LIVE coverage of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2024!
It is one of the highlights of the British sporting calendar, with a host of awards being handed out and culminating in the top prize at the end of the evening.
Keely Hodgkinson is the clear frontrunner – more on that later – and Sir Mark Cavendish will receive the lifetime achievement award.
The show kicks off at 7pm, so stick with us!
(BBC)