What is the UK Sports personality of the year award?

About this episode

The SPOTY award is the main prize of an annual ceremony organised by the BBC. It was created in 1954 by Paul Fox, who was the editor of a sports magazine show called Sportsview. The idea was to honour the sportsperson who had achieved the most that year, as voted by the public. The first winner was Christopher Chataway, a runner who beat Roger Bannister, the first man to run a mile in under four minutes. Since then, the award has become one of the most prestigious and popular awards in British sport. It has been won by legends such as Bobby Moore, Daley Thompson, Steve Redgrave, Kelly Holmes and Andy Murray. The award is open to any sportsperson who is British or who plays a significant amount of their sport in the UK. The winner is chosen from a shortlist of 10 nominees, selected by an expert panel, and announced live on TV in December. Who won for 2023? Why was this person chosen? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: What are the pros and cons of homeownership in the UK? How can I make and keep my new year’s resolutions? Why does the year begin on January 1st? A podcast written and realised by Amber Minogue. In partnership with upday UK. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices