BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award facts for kids
Quick facts for kids BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award |
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Presented by | BBC Sports Personality of the Year |
Country | United Kingdom |
First awarded | 1996 |
Currently held by | Kenny Dalglish (2023) |

The BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award is a special prize given out every December. It is part of the big BBC Sports Personality of the Year show. This award celebrates sports heroes who have made a huge difference in the world of sport during their lives. BBC Sport chooses the winner each year.
The award started in 1996. The first person to win it was Frank Bruno, a famous boxer. Some people thought it was a "consolation prize" for him. The next year, Spanish golfer Seve Ballesteros won it. After that, the award took a break for three years. It came back in 2001 when football manager Alex Ferguson won it. Since then, it has been given out every year.
Many winners have been from football. Tennis and golf are also sports that have had more than one winner. Martina Navratilova, a tennis legend, was the first woman to win the award. Seve Ballesteros is the only person to win it twice, in 1997 and 2009. He won for his amazing golf career, including winning the Open three times and the Masters twice. The most recent winner, in 2023, was football legend Kenny Dalglish.
Who Has Won the Award?
Winners by Year



Here is a list of the amazing sports stars who have won this special award:
Year | Nationality | Winner | Sport | Why they won | Ref. |
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1996 | ![]() |
Frank Bruno | Boxing | He won the WBC heavyweight boxing title. | |
1997 | ![]() |
Seve Ballesteros | Golf | He made a huge impact on European golf for 20 years. | |
2001 | ![]() |
Alex Ferguson | Football | He led Manchester United to many wins, including the treble in 1999. | |
2002 | ![]() |
George Best | Football | He was a brilliant footballer, named European Player of the Year in 1968. | |
2003 | ![]() |
Martina Navratilova | Tennis | She had an amazing 30-year tennis career, winning a record 167 singles titles. | |
2004 | ![]() |
Ian Botham | Cricket | He was a top all-rounder for England in cricket for 15 years. | |
2005 | ![]() |
Pelé | Football | He scored 1,280 goals and won three World Cups with Brazil. | |
2006 | ![]() |
Björn Borg | Tennis | He won 11 Grand Slam titles, including 5 Wimbledon championships. | |
2007 | ![]() |
Bobby Robson | Football | He had a long career as both a player and a manager for over 50 years. | |
2008 | ![]() |
Bobby Charlton | Football | He helped England win the World Cup in 1966 and led Manchester United to European Cup glory. | |
2009 | ![]() |
Seve Ballesteros | Golf | He won the Open three times and the Masters twice, inspiring many in golf. | |
2010 | ![]() |
David Beckham | Football | He had a great playing career and helped London get the 2012 Olympic Games. | |
2011 | ![]() |
Steve Redgrave | Rowing | He made a huge impact on rowing and won many Olympic medals. | |
2012 | ![]() |
Sebastian Coe | Athletics | He played a key role in London hosting the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. | |
2014 | ![]() |
Chris Hoy | Cycling | He won six Olympic gold medals, more than any other British sportsperson. | |
2015 | ![]() |
AP McCoy | Horse racing | He was Champion Jockey for 20 years, winning over 4,300 races. | |
2016 | ![]() |
Michael Phelps | Swimming | He won 23 Olympic gold medals, more than any other Olympian. | |
2017 | ![]() |
Jessica Ennis-Hill | Athletics | She is an Olympic champion and three-time world champion in athletics. | |
2018 | ![]() |
Billie Jean King | Tennis | She changed how people saw women in sport and won 39 Grand Slam titles. | |
2019 | ![]() |
Tanni Grey-Thompson | Para-athletics | She is a hugely successful Paralympic athlete. | |
2021 | ![]() |
Simone Biles | Gymnastics | She is one of the greatest gymnasts of all time. | |
2022 | ![]() |
Usain Bolt | Athletics | He is the fastest sprinter in history and an eight-time Olympic gold medalist. | |
2023 | ![]() |
Kenny Dalglish | Football | He is a legendary football player and manager. |
Winners by Nationality
This table shows how many times people from different countries have won the award.
Nationality | Number of wins |
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![]() |
10 |
![]() |
4 |
![]() |
1 |
![]() |
1 |
![]() |
1 |
![]() |
1 |
Winners by Sport
This table shows which sports the winners are known for.
Sport | Number of wins |
---|---|
Football | 6 |
Tennis | 3 |
Athletics | 3 |
Boxing | 1 |
Cricket | 1 |
Cycling | 1 |
Golf | 1 |
Gymnastics | 1 |
Horse Racing | 1 |
Rowing | 1 |
Swimming | 1 |