The 2009 BBC
Sports Personality Of The Year awards kicks off another round
of end-of-year accolades for top UK athletes this year being held
at the Sheffield Arena beginning 1900 GMT on Sunday, December
13, 2009.
The awards
show, touted on one of the biggest in SPOTY history, will be a
hottest ticket in the world of British sport as 11,000 fans pack
the Sheffield Arena for the annual event.
This year,
Sue Barker and Gary Lineker are back at the helm alongside Jake
Humphrey for the 2-hour presentation, which will be covered live
on BBC One, BBC Radio 5 Live, and the BBC Sport website.
Sports
Personality Contenders 2009
Meanwhile,
watch for the top 10 SPOTY contenders to be announced during The
One Show on BBC One on Monday, November 30 at 1900 GMT. Odds-on
favorites and rumored top contenders this year include Formula
One winner Jenson Button, world heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis,
and boxer David Haye.
Other 2009
Sports Personality contenders include cricketers Andrew Strauss
and Andrew Flintoff, gymnast Beth Tweddle, and diving champion
Tom Daley.
BBC Sports
Personality of the Year 2008 recap
Leading the pack in 2008 included odds-on popular favorites Olympic
swimmer Rebecca Adlington and Formula One racer Lewis Hamilton.
More Olympic champs named to the list included sailor Ben Ainslie
and 400m gold medalist Christine Ohuruogu, and cycling stars Nicole
Cooke, Chris Hoy, Rebecca Romero and Bradley Wiggins. British
tennis champ Andy Murray also made the list along with a repeat
appearance by the 2007 winner, boxing great Joe Calzaghe.
Taking top
honors was triple Olympic gold medal-winner cycler Chris Hoy with
another first place finish as the BBC Sports Personality of the
Year 2008. Coming
in second was F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, and in third place
Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington.
More top awards
in 2008 went to:
Team of the
Year - British Olympic cycling team
Coach of the Year - David Brailsford
Unsung Hero Award - Ben Geyser
BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year - Eleanor Simmonds