Sports Personality of the Year 2020: live updates as the BBC prepares to announce this year’s winner

Good evening, Tyers here, welcome to our live blog of Sports Personality of the Year, known to its friends as SPOTY, although friendless indeed has the event become in the eyes of some critics. There has been some debate as to whether the BBC’s annual award show recognising those who have lit up our sporting lives should have gone ahead in 2020, but gone ahead it has. The contenders for the award are Lewis Hamilton, Stuart Broad, Jordan Henderson, Hollie Doyle, Ronnie O’Sullivan and Tyson Fury.

Here, some of our specialist correspondents run the rule over the five men and one woman from their sport’s perspective.

Here’s Jason Burt, football wallah, on Hendo: “… captain of one of the most impressive, relentless teams in recent years. His importance to Liverpool is probably in his personality and leadership even more than his play and he is sorely missed when absent.”

I’d like to mark your card with this Marcus Armytage piece about the brilliant young jockey, Doyle:

The real Hollie Doyle: What makes star jockey so special – by those who know her best

Some good lines in that one: “…she doesn’t yap about her success. Everyone’s using her because she’s an amazing little rider and is hard to beat.”

Some people noted the gender split of the shortlist: five blokes and one woman. Here’s a history lesson of the women who have won in the past.

Here’s Oliver Brown putting the event in broader context: Sports Personality of the Year: How the BBC’s big night turned into a big headache

One of those headaches has been the fact that Tyson Fury was in the media over the last week saying that he didn’t want any part of the occasion or indeed the award. Here’s a piece from boxing’s Gareth A Davies about one of the most fascinating and polarising people in sport, and what he has done outside the ring.

All things considered, Lewis Hamilton will probably be the safest bet, and his achievements have certainly been mighty.