The Sports Personality of the Year award will be dished out tonight (Image: BBC SPORT / X)
The 2024 award will be presented to one of British sport’s biggest names tonight. Among the favourites to win the award are athletics star Keely Hodgkinson and darts sensation .
Hodgkinson, 22, breezed to an Olympic gold medal in the women’s 800m event during the summer. It was Great Britain’s first gold medal on the track since Mo Farah’s 5,000m and 10,000m double at Rio 2016.
Littler became a household name at last year’s World Darts Championship, reaching the final as a 16-year-old. The teenager has won the and the Grand Slam in his first full season in professional darts. He is credited with elevating interest in the sport.
The other nominees are Jude Bellingham (football), Joe Root (cricket), Sarah Storey (para-cycling) and Alex Yee (triathlon). regardless of who scoops the prize, there will be a new winner of the award.
You can follow all the latest throughout the evening in our LIVE blog, below…
Littler sets sights on adding further silverware
What a year it’s been for Luke Littler, who is still only 17 years of age and taking the world of darts by storm.
The Warrington native already has 10 PDC titles to his name after experiencing a whirlwind 12 months, from playing in the 2023 World Darts Championship final to clinching the Grand Slam title.
He’ll be hoping to right that wrong at this year’s Worlds tournament, with action already underway at this year’s tournament.
Before he can focus on his first clash against Ryan Meikle or Fallon Sherrock, he has the small matter of wondering if he will clinch the SPOTY prize.
Littler is also up for the Young SPOTY award, so it seems very likely he’ll be walking away with some silverware tonight. And he’s certainly dressed for the occasion.
(Image: Getty)
Hodgkinson the bookmakers’ favourite
It’s fair to say there’s a clear frontrunner as far as the bookmakers are concerned.
The latest odds from Betfair indicate Keely Hodgkinson will comfortably land the gong in the voting. Of course, there’s no guarantee of that.
Latest odds (from Betfair)
Keely Hodgkinson 1/4
Luke Littler 11/4
Joe Root 50/1
Alex Yee 66/1
Jude Bellingham 100/1
Sarah Storey 100/1
(Image: Getty)
How to watch and vote
It’s still all the play for ahead of tonight’s ceremony, which starts at 7pm GMT.
If you can’t catch the broadcast on One, follow along with us right here as we bring you all of the updates from tonight’s ceremony.
Voting begins during the ceremony, with votes cast online with a account, via telephone or by scanning a QR code which will be displayed on the screen during the show.
If you are voting by phone, there will be a different contact number for each nominee to ensure there is no mix-ups in the voting procedure.
Which other awards are up for grabs?
The overall Sports Personality of the Year award may be the biggest prize handed out tonight, but it’s not the only one.
The other award categories to be sorted out include World Sport Star of the Year, Helen Rollason award, Young Sports Personality of the Year, Unsung Hero, Coach of the Year and Team of the Year.
On Monday, Sir Mark Cavendish was named as the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement award.
A shortlist of three contenders – skateboarder Sky Brown, darts player Luke Littler and Para-swimmer William Ellard – has been named for the Young Sports Personality of the Year award.
In addition, 15 regional finalists have also been named for the Unsung Hero of the Year award, which celebrates the best volunteers in sport. The winners of those awards will be announced on the night of the show.
(Image: Getty)
Who has been nominated to win SPOTY?
A shortlist of six contenders was announced on Monday, December 9. The nominees are:
Jude Bellingham (Football)
Keely Hodgkinson (Athletics)
Luke Littler (Darts)
Joe Root (Cricket)
Sarah Storey (Para-cycling)
Alex Yee (Triathlon)
Good evening!
Good evening and welcome to Express Sport’s coverage of the Sports Personality of the Year!