BBC Sport Personality of the Year: from Beth Mead to Tyson Fury, we reveal the contenders for the big award

BBC’s Sport Personality of the Year returns next week to celebrate another fantastic year of sport for the country.

The last year has seen success for the Lionesses in the Euros 2022, the England cricket team’s T20 World Cup win and the Qatar World Cup.

With the event taking place on 21 December, the odds of who will take the big prize have been brought into speculation.

Last year, the 2021 award was given to tennis star Emma Raducanu, who became the first woman since Virginia Wade in 1977 to win a Grand Slam.

Emma won the US Open at just 18-years-old after beating Leylah Fernandez in a heated final.

Ahead of the televised event, the BBC’s Director of Sport, Barbara Slater said: “The BBC is the home of major sporting events and has brought key moments from a huge year to audiences across the UK.

“We will truly be spoiled for choice for contenders and can’t wait to celebrate the year’s achievements in December.”

The event will be broadcast live from MediaCityUK in Salford with Gabby Logan, Alex Scott, Gary Lineker and Clare Balding presenting the show.

How to watch BBC SPOTY 2022

BBC’s Sport Personality of the Year 2022 will be broadcast live from 6:45pm on BBC One on Wednesday 21 December 2022.

Although the show is live on BBC One, the event will be uploaded to BBC iPlayer to watch at a later date if you miss the action.

Who are the Unsung Hero finalists?

Eight finalists have been announced for the 2022 BBC Sports Personality Unsung Hero award.

The award celebrates volunteers in sport that work within their communities to make a real difference to people’s lives.

The eight finalists are:

Mike Alden

Mike, from Bristol, was diagnosed with brittle bone disease when he was four-years old and has broken nearly every bone in his body.

Despite his condition, he played lots of football growing up and has since worked to encourage others to play by setting up Park Knowle FC.

The football club is based in one of Bristol’s most deprived areas and is open to anyone regardless of age and ability.

Rukhsana Hussain

From Leicester, Rukhsana works with local women, despite facing criticism from disapproving community members to encourage Muslim women to participate in sport and get them both active and socialsing.

Working in her area, she is viewed as a role model and a mentor to the women in her area and is determined to inspire women to play sport.

Nooh Omar Ibrahim

Nooh, from Cardiff began in sport development with the Welsh Rugby Union but has since moved to Cricket Wales and Urdd Cymru.

Nooh uses his free time to run games of street cricket in one of Cardiff’s most challenged areas as well as offering daily fitness and wellness sessions.

His aim is to work with people of all ages who have mobility, isolation and diabetes issues.

Mary O’Hagan

From Ballyronan in Northern Ireland, Mary O’Hagan struggled with depression and anxiety after giving birth to her first two children, who were born blind.

The mum then took up cold swimming to help improve her health and has since gone on to become a qualified mental health swim coach.

Mary set up Ballyronan Bluetits open water swimming club in 2020 for the local community to come together in a fun activity.

Anna Pim

Anna Pim, from Belfast, is a junior international hockey player who founded ‘At the Heart of the Game’ during the Covid-19 lockdown.

She has founded an educational programme that has seen her deliver CPR and defibrillator awareness training to Under-13’s hockey clubs over Northern Ireland.

Anna has been recognised as a young leader who is able to demonstrate the differences that can be made through sport.

Dave Thompson

From Aberdeen, Dave Thompson works to be a positive influence on the lives of young people in some of Aberdeen’s poorest neighbourhoods.

Dave works with the Denis Law Legacy Trust’s Streetsport programme, which has brought regular sport and creative sessions into the city.

He has also worked closely with young people with complex emotional and educational needs.

Helen Thornton

Helen Thornton, from Ipswich, set-up the Badminton Homes for Ukraine programme which has enabled Ukrainian families, known to the Ukraine Badminton Federation, to settle in the UK.

Helen has worked with resettlement but also has continued working to ensure refugees can continue to enjoy and play sport.

Becca Todd

From Bristol, Becca Todd set-up Team Brave, which works as a fully inclusive football group targeted towards women and girls based in Bristol.

Her training sessions, which take place every Wednesday night, are completely free and inclusive to anyone who wants to participate.

The sessions promote mental health and confidence, with numbers rising rapidly over the last year.

What are the odds to win SPOTY 2022?

Although the nominations for this year’s Sports Personality of the Year are yet to be confirmed by the BBC, the winner will be voted for from a predetermined list.

Beth Mead is the bookies’ favourite to take the win this year following the Lionesses’ victory at the Euros 2022, when the women beat Germany to bring football home.

Beth won the Golden Boot for being the leading goal scorer and she was also awarded Player of the Tournament.

Ben Stokes is also another potential favourite to take home the award this year after becoming the England cricket captain in April.

Since replacing Joe Root, he has worked with coach Brendon McCullum to give the team an impressive year winning eight out of nine Test matches and the T20 World Cup.

According to Betfair, the top contenders for BBC SPOTY 2022 are:

• Beth Mead 1/80
• Ben Stokes 25/1
• Ronnie O’Sullivan 33/1
• Natasha Jonas 33/1
• Jessica Gadirova 50/1
• Leon Edwards 50/1
• Tyson Fury 66/1
• Rory McIlroy 80/1
• Adam Peaty 80/1
• Ellen White 80/1
• Max Burgin 80/1