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BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award facts for kids

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BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award
Presented by BBC Sports Personality of the Year
Country United Kingdom
First awarded 1996; 29 years ago (1996)
Currently held by Kenny Dalglish (2023)
Lord Coe - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2012 cropped
Sebastian Coe, who won the award in 2012

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

Navratilova crop
Martina Navratilova, who won in 2003, was the first female winner
Pelé 23092007
Pelé, the winner in 2005
Michael Phelps Rio Olympics 2016
Michael Phelps won in 2016. He has competed in four Olympic Games
Jessica Ennis - Yorkshire
Jessica Ennis-Hill won in 2017. She was the first female winner since 2003

Here is a list of the amazing sports stars who have won this special award:

BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award winners
Year Nationality Winner Sport Why they won Ref.
1996  United Kingdom Bruno, FrankFrank Bruno Boxing He won the WBC heavyweight boxing title.
1997  Spain Ballesteros, SeveSeve Ballesteros Golf He made a huge impact on European golf for 20 years.
2001  United Kingdom Ferguson, AlexAlex Ferguson Football He led Manchester United to many wins, including the treble in 1999.
2002  United Kingdom Best, GeorgeGeorge Best Football He was a brilliant footballer, named European Player of the Year in 1968.
2003  United States Navratilova, MartinaMartina Navratilova Tennis She had an amazing 30-year tennis career, winning a record 167 singles titles.
2004  United Kingdom Botham, IanIan Botham Cricket He was a top all-rounder for England in cricket for 15 years.
2005  Brazil Pelé Football He scored 1,280 goals and won three World Cups with Brazil.
2006  Sweden Borg, BjörnBjörn Borg Tennis He won 11 Grand Slam titles, including 5 Wimbledon championships.
2007  United Kingdom Robson, BobbyBobby Robson Football He had a long career as both a player and a manager for over 50 years.
2008  United Kingdom Charlton, BobbyBobby Charlton Football He helped England win the World Cup in 1966 and led Manchester United to European Cup glory.
2009  Spain Ballesteros, SeveSeve Ballesteros Golf He won the Open three times and the Masters twice, inspiring many in golf.
2010  United Kingdom Beckham, DavidDavid Beckham Football He had a great playing career and helped London get the 2012 Olympic Games.
2011  United Kingdom Redgrave, SteveSteve Redgrave Rowing He made a huge impact on rowing and won many Olympic medals.
2012  United Kingdom Coe, SebastianSebastian Coe Athletics He played a key role in London hosting the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
2014  United Kingdom Hoy, ChrisChris Hoy Cycling He won six Olympic gold medals, more than any other British sportsperson.
2015  United Kingdom McCoy, APAP McCoy Horse racing He was Champion Jockey for 20 years, winning over 4,300 races.
2016  United States Phelps, MichaelMichael Phelps Swimming He won 23 Olympic gold medals, more than any other Olympian.
2017  United Kingdom Ennis-Hill, JessicaJessica Ennis-Hill Athletics She is an Olympic champion and three-time world champion in athletics.
2018  United States King, Billie JeanBillie Jean King Tennis She changed how people saw women in sport and won 39 Grand Slam titles.
2019  United Kingdom Grey-Thompson, TanniTanni Grey-Thompson Para-athletics She is a hugely successful Paralympic athlete.
2021  United States Biles, SimoneSimone Biles Gymnastics She is one of the greatest gymnasts of all time.
2022  Jamaica Bolt, UsainUsain Bolt Athletics He is the fastest sprinter in history and an eight-time Olympic gold medalist.
2023  United Kingdom Dalglish, KennyKenny 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.

Winners by nationality
Nationality Number of wins
 United Kingdom 10
 United States 4
 Spain 1
 Brazil 1
 Sweden 1
 Jamaica 1

Winners by Sport

This table shows which sports the winners are known for.

Winners by sport
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
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