BBC Sports Personality of the Year facts for kids
Quick facts for kids BBC Sports Personality of the Year |
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The trophy for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award is a silver four-turret lens camera
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| Presented by | BBC |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| First awarded | 1954 |
The BBC Sports Personality of the Year is a special awards show held every December in the United Kingdom. It celebrates amazing achievements in sports. The show was first created by Paul Fox in 1954. Back then, it only had one main award. Over the years, many new awards have been added. Today, eight different awards are given out.
The first new awards, Team of the Year and Overseas Personality, started in 1960. A Lifetime Achievement Award was first given in 1995. It has been given out every year since 2001. In 1999, three more awards were added: the Helen Rollason Award, the Coach Award, and the Young Sports Personality of the Year. The newest award, the Unsung Hero Award, began in 2003.
In 2003, the show celebrated its 50th birthday! A special TV series called Simply the Best – Sports Personality was shown on BBC One. It helped people vote for a special Golden Sports Personality of the Year. That year, a book was also written about the award's 50-year history. Since 2006, the event has been held outside London, and people can buy tickets to watch it live.
The main award trophy looks like a silver-plated camera with four lenses. For the other awards, smaller versions of this trophy are given. Before the main show, local BBC regions across the UK hold their own award ceremonies. These local events help choose who gets nominated for the BBC Sports Unsung Hero Award.
Some other special awards have been given out in the past. For example, Special Achievement Awards were given five times. Jockey Lester Piggott received it twice. Comedians David Walliams and Eddie Izzard also won it for their amazing charity challenges. In 2005, Sebastian Coe received a Special Gold Award. This was for his important work in helping London host the 2012 Olympics.
Other unique awards include #Manager of the Year (1969), a #Special Team Award (1986), and #Good Sport Awards (1990). There was also an #International Team Award (1983) and the #Sports Personality of the Century Award (1999). For the 50th anniversary in 2003, two special awards were created. Rower Steve Redgrave was voted BBC Golden Sports Personality of the Year. England's 1966 World Cup-winning football team was chosen as #Team of the Decades.
BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Wales also have their own sports awards for athletes from their regions. BBC Scotland used to have one but stopped in the late 2000s. England has never had its own separate award.
Contents
Awards Given Today
Here are the main awards given out at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year show:
| Award | Started | Description | Current holder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Personality | 1954 | Given to the sportsperson who has most captured the public's imagination. | Keely Hodgkinson |
| World Sport Star | 1960 | Given to the sportsperson who has made the biggest impression in world sport. | Armand Duplantis |
| Team | 1960 | Given to the team with the most notable achievement in British sport. | Wigan R.L.F.C. |
| Lifetime Achievement | 1996 | Given to a sportsperson who has made a huge impact on the world of sport throughout their life. | Mark Cavendish |
| Coach | 1999 | Given to the coach who has made the most impact on British sport. | Jenny Meadows Trevor Painter |
| Helen Rollason | 1999 | Given to someone who has shown amazing achievement when facing difficulties. | Mark Prince |
| Young Sports Personality | 1999 | Given to a young sportsperson who has made an outstanding contribution to British sport. | Luke Littler |
| Unsung Hero | 2003 | Given to someone who volunteers their time and talents to help others play sports. | Jean Paton |
History of the Show
The BBC Sports Personality of the Year was created by Paul Fox. He got the idea while working on a TV show called Sportsview. The very first awards ceremony happened on December 30, 1954, at the Savoy Hotel in London. The show was 45 minutes long and hosted by Peter Dimmock.
People voted for their favourite sports person by sending postcards. For the first award, over 14,500 votes were cast! Christopher Chataway won, beating fellow athlete Roger Bannister. The next year, the show was called Sports Review of the Year and was longer.
New Awards and Presenters
In 1960, two new awards were added: the Team of the Year and the Overseas Personality awards. David Coleman joined as a co-presenter in 1961 and stayed for many years. In 1962, swimmer Anita Lonsbrough became the first woman to win the main award. Women also won in the next two years.
Frank Bough became a presenter in 1964 and hosted the show for 18 years. In 1969, a special Manager of the Year award was given to Don Revie for his success with Leeds United. This award was only given once. The next year, boxer Henry Cooper became the first person to win the main award twice.
During the 1970s and 1980s, other famous presenters like Jimmy Hill, Cliff Morgan, Kenneth Wolstenholme, and Harry Carpenter joined the show. Des Lynam took over as the main host in 1983. In 1984, ice skating duo Torvill and Dean became the first non-individual winners of the main award. Steve Rider joined as a co-host in 1986.
The 1990s and Beyond
In 1991, angler Bob Nudd received the most votes after a newspaper campaign. However, the BBC decided this was against the rules, and athlete Liz McColgan won instead. The next year, racing driver Nigel Mansell won the main award for the second time. Sue Barker started presenting in 1994.
In 1999, the show was renamed Sports Personality of the Year. Gary Lineker joined as a co-presenter, along with John Inverdale and Clare Balding. Three more regular awards were introduced: Coach of the Year, Newcomer of the Year (now Young Sports Personality), and the Helen Rollason Award. This award celebrates courage and achievement despite difficulties. In a special one-off award, boxer Muhammad Ali was voted the Sports Personality of the Century.
50th Anniversary in 2003
To celebrate 50 years of the show, a book was published in November 2003. Leading up to the awards show in December 2003, a series of five special TV programmes called Simply The Best – Sports Personality were shown. These shows looked back at each decade of the awards. Viewers voted for their favourite winner from each decade. From these winners, rower Steve Redgrave was voted Golden Sports Personality of the Year. The England World Cup-winning team of 1966 won a Team of the Decades award.
Moving Around the UK
In 2006, the event was held outside London for the first time, in Birmingham. Tickets were sold to the public, and 3,000 were bought in the first hour! The show has since been held in many different cities across the UK, including Liverpool, Sheffield, Salford, Leeds, Glasgow, Belfast, and Aberdeen. This allows more people to experience the live show.
In 2018, the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year award was renamed World Sport Star of the Year. For the first time, people outside the UK could vote for this award. A new award, Greatest Sporting Moment of the Year, was also introduced.
Recent Years
The 2020 ceremony took place in Salford. It was hosted by Gary Lineker, Clare Balding, Gabby Logan, and Alex Scott. Boxer Tyson Fury caused some discussion when he tried to remove himself from the nominations, but he remained on the list. Lewis Hamilton won the main award for the second time. Also, footballer Marcus Rashford received a special award for his important work helping children facing food poverty. In 2022, Kevin Sinfield received a Special Award for raising money and awareness for motor neurone disease.
The Trophy
The trophy for the main award was created in the 1950s and cost about £1,000. It was first given to Christopher Chataway in 1954. It's a silver-plated camera with four lenses. The name of each winner is engraved on small shields attached to the base of the trophy. More bases have been added over time to make room for all the winners' names.
A copy of the trophy was made in 1981. This was sent to India in case Ian Botham won the award while playing cricket there, which he did! The original trophy is still used for the ceremony. After the show, the winner's name is engraved, and they get to keep the trophy for about eight or nine months. The trophies for second and third place, and for the other awards, are smaller versions of the main trophy.
Regional and National Awards
Today, two BBC regions, BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Northern Ireland, hold their own sports personality awards. These are the BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year (since 1954) and the BBC Northern Ireland Sports Personality of the Year (since 2003). BBC Scotland used to have its own award, but it stopped.
The 12 local BBC English Regions also have their own award ceremonies. These happen before the main national show. The winners from these regional awards help choose the nominees for the BBC Sports Unsung Hero Award.
Special One-Off Awards
Sometimes, unique awards are given for very special achievements.
Manager of the Year
In 1969, Don Revie received a Manager of the Year award. This was for his amazing work as manager of Leeds United A.F.C.. His team won the Football League First Division that season, losing only two games.
| Year | Winner | Team | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Don Revie | Leeds United A.F.C. |
Special Achievement Award
This award is given for outstanding achievements. In 1981, Dennis Moore received it for finishing the first London Marathon even though he was blind. Jockey Lester Piggott won it twice, in 1984 and 1994, for his incredible horse racing career. Comedian David Walliams won in 2006 for swimming the English Channel for charity, raising over £1 million. Fellow comedian Eddie Izzard received it in 2009 for running 43 marathons in 51 days for charity.
| Year | Winner | Sport | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Dennis Moore | Athletics | |
| 1984 | Lester Piggott | Horse racing | |
| 1994 | Lester Piggott | Horse racing | |
| 2006 | David Walliams | Swimming | |
| 2009 | Eddie Izzard | Athletics |
International Team Award
In 1983, the crew of Australia II received this award. They won the 1983 America's Cup, a famous sailing race, ending a 132-year winning streak by an American team. It was a truly historic victory!
| Year | Nat. | Winner | Sport | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 |  AUS |
Alan Bond and the crew of Australia II | Sailing |
Special Team Award
In 1986, a Special Team Award was given to the British men's 4 × 400 m relay team. They won a gold medal at the European Championships that year.
| Year | Winner | Sport | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | British Men's 4 × 400 metres relay team | Athletics |
Good Sport Awards
In 1990, Good Sport Awards were given to Derek Warwick, Martin Donnelly, Louise Aitken-Walker, and Tina Thörner. These motor racing stars showed great courage and sportsmanship after being involved in serious accidents that year.
| Year | Winner | Sport | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Derek Warwick Martin Donnelly Louise Aitken-Walker Tina Thörner |
Motor sport |
Sports Personality of the Century Award
In 1999, the British public voted for the Sports Personality of the Century. Muhammad Ali won this special one-off award, receiving more votes than other legends like Pelé and Jesse Owens.
Special Gold Award
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In 2005, Sebastian Coe received a Special Gold Award. This was to recognise his leadership in London's successful bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012.
| Year | Winner | Reason | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Sebastian Coe | "for leading London's winning bid for the 2012 Olympics" | After the games, Coe also received the 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award. |
Greatest Sporting Moment of the Year
This award celebrates the sporting moment that has most captured the UK public's imagination.
| Year | Winner | Reason | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | England's historic netball gold | Awarded to the sporting moment that has "most captured the UK public's imagination" | |
| 2019 | 2019 England Win at the Cricket World Cup Final |
Expert Panel Special Award
This award is given for very special contributions. In 2020, Marcus Rashford received it for his important work raising awareness about child food poverty in the UK. In 2022, Kevin Sinfield received it for his efforts in raising awareness and money for motor neurone disease.
| Year | Winner | Reason | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Marcus Rashford | "for his work to raise awareness of child food poverty in the UK" | |
| 2022 | Kevin Sinfield | "for raising awareness of and fundraising for motor neurone disease" |
50th Anniversary Awards (2003)
To celebrate the 50th birthday of BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2003, two extra special awards were given out.
Golden Sports Personality of the Year
This award was voted for by the public to find the best Sports Personality from the past 49 years. Rower Steve Redgrave won this special award.
| Year | Winner | Sport | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Steve Redgrave | Rowing |
Team of the Decades
England's 1966 World Cup-winning football team won this award. Representatives from all past Team of the Year winners voted for the best team of the last 50 years. Bobby Charlton accepted the award for the team.
| Year | Winner | Sport | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 1966 World Cup-winning football team | Football |
