Sports Personality of the Year: Contenders revealed for 2020 BBC award

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The contenders for BBC Sports Personality of the Year
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All six contenders have been named for BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2020

A shortlist of six contenders has been announced for the 2020 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.

The nominees are cricketer Stuart Broad, jockey Hollie Doyle, boxer Tyson Fury, Formula 1's Lewis Hamilton, footballer Jordan Henderson and snooker star Ronnie O'Sullivan.

Voting will be open to the public during the Sports Personality programme on BBC One on Sunday, 20 December.

The show is being broadcast live from Media City in Salford.

Football pundit Alex Scott will join the presenting line-up alongside Gary Lineker, Clare Balding and Gabby Logan to look back on a truly unusual year of sport in front of a huge virtual audience and millions of BBC One viewers.

The ceremony will champion the teams that triumphed despite the pandemic, sports stars that achieved greatness even with interrupted schedules and the coaches and local heroes that made it possible.

The public can vote by phone or online on the night for the main award, with full details announced during the show.

Other awards to be announced include Team and Coach of the Year, World Sport Star of the Year and Unsung Hero, while Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford will receive a special award in recognition of his work to raise awareness of child food poverty in the UK.

Who are the Sports Personality contenders?

After being dropped for the opening match of the summer series against West Indies, the Nottinghamshire fast bowler returned for the final two Tests - both won by England - and took 16 wickets at an average of 10.93 to pass 500 for his career. He is seventh in the list of all-time Test wicket-takers.

Broke her own record for the number of winners ridden by a British woman in a year, rode a historic double on British Champions Day, became the first woman to ride five winners on the same card and claimed her first victory at Royal Ascot. Doyle was named Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year.

The self-styled 'Gypsy King' became a two-time world heavyweight champion with a devastating defeat of Deontay Wilder to claim the WBC title in their Las Vegas rematch in February. Victory for the Manchester-born fighter marked another stage in his remarkable comeback after a battle with depression and drugs.

One of F1's all-time great drivers, he equalled Michael Schumacher's record of seven world titles with his fourth consecutive championship in 2020. En route, the Stevenage-born driver - who holds the record for most pole positions - surpassed the German's total of 91 grand prix victories.

Captained runaway leaders Liverpool to win their first league title since 1990, by a margin of 18 points, a year after lifting the Champions League trophy. The Sunderland-born midfielder, who has been capped 58 times by England, was also named the Football Writers' men's player of the year.

Won his sixth world title at the Crucible to become the oldest champion for more than 40 years and cement his place as one snooker's greatest players. 'The Rocket' has secured more events (37) and Triple Crown event titles (20) than anyone else in history. The Essex potter is nominated for the BBC award for the first time in his 28-year career.

Media caption,

Joe Wicks revealed the six Sports Personality of the Year contenders throughout the day

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