The 2010 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award, held on 19 December, was the 57th presentation of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award

BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award

The BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award is the titular award of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony, which takes place each December. The winner is the sportsperson, adjudged by a public vote, to have achieved the most that year. The recipient must either be British or reside and...

s. Awarded annually by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the main titular award honours an individual's British sporting achievement

Sport in the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has given birth to a range of major international sports including: Association football, rugby , cricket, golf, tennis, badminton, squash, rounders, hockey, boxing, snooker, billiards and curling...

 over the past year, with the winner selected by public vote from a 10-person shortlist. Other awards presented include team, coach, and young personality of the year.

Award process

The ten sportspersons on the award shortlist was drawn up by a "panel of 30 sports editors from national and regional newspapers and magazines

Media of the United Kingdom

Media of the United Kingdom consist of several different types of communications media: television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and Internet-based Web sites. The UK also has a strong music industry. The UK has a diverse range of providers, the most prominent being principle public service...

", and announced on 29 November 2010. As a preview to the awards, the nominees were interviewed for Sports Personality of the Year: The Contenders, a special edition of BBC One's Inside Sport

Inside Sport (TV series)

Inside Sport is a weekly sports magazine programme produced by BBC Sport. The programme is transmitted twice a week, with an extended edition broadcast at Sunday lunch-time. It is presented by Gabby Logan. The programme combines mainstream sporting issues with topics that may not be widely known to...

, presented by Gabby Logan

Gabby Logan

Gabby Logan is a television presenter and radio presenter, as well as a former Wales international gymnast. She currently hosts programmes for BBC Sport, mainly focusing on football.- Early life :...

 and broadcast on 13 December 2010. The award ceremony is to be held on Sunday 19 December at the LG Arena in Birmingham

Birmingham

Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

, and will be broadcast live on BBC One

BBC One

BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...

, presented by Sue Barker

Sue Barker

Susan Barker, MBE is an English television presenter and former professional tennis player. During her tennis career, she won the women's singles title at the French Open and reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 3...

, Gary Lineker

Gary Lineker

Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...

 and Jake Humphrey

Jake Humphrey

Jacob John "Jake" Humphrey is an English television presenter, currently best known for his work with BBC Sport, being the youngest ever presenter to host Football Focus, Match of the Day and Final Score. He currently presents the BBC's Formula One coverage and BBC Sports Personality of the Year...

. The winners are decided by a public telephone vote during the ceremony.
It was won by AP McCoy of Horse Racing.

Nominees

The nominees and their achievements in 2010 as described by the BBC were as follows:

Nominee	Sport	2010 achievement	BBC Profile
Mark Cavendish Mark Cavendish Mark Cavendish MBE is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam until the end of this season when the team is dissolved. He will join Team Sky at the start of the 2012 season...	Cycling Cycling Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...	Winning five stages of the 2010 Tour de France 2010 Tour de France The 2010 Tour de France was the 97th edition of the Tour de France cycle race, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started on with an 8.9 km prologue time trial in Rotterdam, the first start in the Netherlands since 1996... , followed by taking the Most Points Jersey Points classification The points classification is a secondary award category in road bicycle racing. Points are given for high finishes and, in some cases, for winning intermediate sprints. The points classification is the top prize for many cycling sprinters and therefore is often known as the Sprint Classification;...  in the 2010 Tour of Spain 2010 Vuelta a España The 2010 Vuelta a España was held from August 28 to September 19 and was won by Vincenzo Nibali. The race began in Seville and ended, as is tradition, in Madrid.The race covered...	http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tv_and_radio/sports_personality_of_the_year/9204239.stm
Tom Daley Tom Daley (diver) Thomas Robert "Tom" Daley is an English diver who specialises in the 10 metre platform event and was the 2009 FINA World Champion in the individual event at the age of 15. He started diving at the age of seven and is a member of Plymouth Diving Club. He has made an impact in national and...	Diving Diving Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...	Winning two gold medals for the Men's Diving Aquatics at the 2010 Commonwealth Games The aquatics events at the 2010 Commonwealth Games took place at the SPM Swimming Pool Complex, Talkatora Gardens, Delhi from 4–13 October 2010...  (10 metre platform, team and individual) at the 2010 Commonwealth Games 2010 Commonwealth Games The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...  in Delhi, India	http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tv_and_radio/sports_personality_of_the_year/9204287.stm
Jessica Ennis Jessica Ennis Jessica Ennis, MBE is a British track and field athlete specialising in multi-eventing disciplines and 100m hurdles...	Athletics	Winning the gold medal for the Women's Heptathlon 2010 European Athletics Championships – Women's heptathlon The women's heptathlon at the 2010 European Athletics Championships was held at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on 30 and 31 July.-Medalists:-Records:-Schedule:-Heat 1:-Heat 2:-Heat 3:-High jump:-Shot put:-Heat 1:-Heat 2:...  at the 2010 European Athletics Championships in Barcelona, Spain	http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tv_and_radio/sports_personality_of_the_year/9204228.stm
David Haye David Haye David Deron Haye is a retired English professional boxer,Haye is the former WBA heavyweight champion. He is also the former unified world cruiserweight champion, holding the WBA, WBC, WBO, and The Ring cruiserweight titles, and also the former European cruiserweight champion.- Amateur :Haye...	Boxing Boxing Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...	Making two successful defences of his WBA World Boxing Association The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...  World Heavyweight Championship belt, against John Ruiz John Ruiz John "The Quietman" Ruiz , is a former American professional boxer. Ruiz is the first Latino heavyweight champion and former two-time WBA heavyweight champion. After a professional career spanning over 18 years, Ruiz officially announced his retirement from the sport at a press conference on April...  on 3 April, and Audley Harrison Audley Harrison Audley Harrison is a British professional boxer from Harlesden, England who fights in the heavyweight division. At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney he became the first British fighter to win an Olympic gold medal in the superheavyweight division. He stands and usually weighs around .Harrison turned...  on 13 November	http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tv_and_radio/sports_personality_of_the_year/9216834.stm
AP McCoy	Horse racing Horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...	Riding Don't Push It Don't Push It Don't Push It is a Grand National-winning thoroughbred racehorse.- Debut :Don't Push It began his career on the 5th December 2004 at Warwick Racecourse in a National Hunt Flat race . He finished 3rd.- 2005-2006 Season :... to win the 2010 Grand National 2010 Grand National The 2010 Grand National was the 163rd renewal of the world-famous Grand National horse race that took place at the Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, England, on 10 April 2010....  at the 15th attempt, having won more races than any jump jockey Steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to:* Steeplechase, an event in horse racing* SteepleChase, a Danish jazz label* Steeplechase , a 1975 arcade game released by Atari...  in history	http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tv_and_radio/sports_personality_of_the_year/9204227.stm
Graeme McDowell Graeme McDowell Graeme McDowell MBE is a Northern Irish professional golfer.McDowell has won seven events on the European Tour, including the 2010 U.S. Open which was also his first win on the PGA Tour...	Golf Golf Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....	Becoming the first European winner of the U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...  since 1970, scoring 284 at the 2010 tournament at Pebble Beach, California	http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tv_and_radio/sports_personality_of_the_year/9204196.stm
Graeme Swann Graeme Swann Graeme Peter Swann is an English international cricketer. He is primarily a right-arm offspinner, and also bats right-handed. After initially playing for his home county Northamptonshire, for whom he made his debut in 1997, he moved to Nottinghamshire in 2005. He often fields at slip...	Cricket Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...	For his spin bowling Spin bowling Spin bowling is a technique used for bowling in the sport of cricket. Practitioners are known as spinners or spin bowlers.-Purpose:The main aim of spin bowling is to bowl the cricket ball with rapid rotation so that when it bounces on the pitch it will deviate, thus making it difficult for the...  for England against Bangladesh (May to June) Bangladeshi cricket team in England in 2010 -2nd Test:-1st ODI:-2nd ODI:-3rd ODI:-First Class: Surrey vs Bangladeshis:-First Class: Bangladeshis vs Essex:-First Class: Bangladeshis vs England Lions:-List A: Sussex vs Bangladeshis:-List A: Middlesex vs Bangladeshis:...  and Pakistan (July to September) Pakistani cricket team in England in 2010 The Pakistan cricket team toured England from 29 July to 22 September 2010. The tour consisted of four Tests, two Twenty20s and five One Day Internationals .-1st Test:-2nd Test:-3rd Test:-4th Test:... , and in the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 2010 ICC World Twenty20 -------------------------------------------------Group A:---------Group B:---------Group C:---------Group D:---------Super 8s:...  competition	http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tv_and_radio/sports_personality_of_the_year/9204235.stm
Phil Taylor	Darts Darts Darts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...	Becoming the World Darts Champion World Professional Darts Championship The World Professional Darts Championship is one of the most important tournaments in the darts calendar. Originally held as an annual event between 1978 and 1993, players then broke off into two separate organisations after a controversial split in the game...  for a record 15th time by winning the 2010 PDC tournament 2010 PDC World Darts Championship The 2010 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship was the 17th World Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporation since it separated from the British Darts Organisation....  in January 2010, and winning a further six major titles during the year	http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tv_and_radio/sports_personality_of_the_year/9204249.stm
Lee Westwood Lee Westwood Lee John Westwood OBE is an English professional golfer. Noted for his consistency, Westwood is one of the few golfers who has won tournaments on every major continent, including victories on the European Tour and the PGA Tour. He was named player of the year for the 1998, 2000, and 2009 seasons...	Golf Golf Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....	Becoming the new World Number One male golfer after a successful 2010 season, replacing the long time leader Tiger Woods Tiger Woods Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...	http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tv_and_radio/sports_personality_of_the_year/9204231.stm
Amy Williams Amy Williams Amy Joy Williams MBE is an English skeleton racer and Olympic gold medallist. Originally a runner, she began training in skeleton after trying the sport on a push-start track at the University of Bath...	Skeleton Skeleton (sport) Skeleton is a fast winter sliding sport in which an individual person rides a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down, during which athletes experience forces up to 5g. It originated in St. Moritz, Switzerland as a spin-off from the popular British sport of Cresta Sledding...	Winning the Gold Medal for the Women's Skeleton Skeleton at the 2010 Winter Olympics The skeleton competition of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics was held at Whistler Sliding Centre. The events were held between the 18 and 19 February 2010...  at the 2010 Winter Olympics 2010 Winter Olympics The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...  in Vancouver, Canada, the first British individual winter gold medal in 30 years	http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tv_and_radio/sports_personality_of_the_year/9204234.stm

Winner

The winner was announced as AP McCoy live during the award ceremony on 19 December 2010. 15 time world champion darts player Phil "The Power" Taylor was runner up, with world and European heptahlon champion Jessica Ennis voted third.

Other awards

As part of the 2010 ceremony, awards are also to be presented for:

• Team of the Year
• Coach of the Year
  BBC Sports Personality of the Year Coach Award
  The BBC Sports Personality of the Year Coach Award is an award given annually as part of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony each December. The award is given to the coach who was considered to have made the most substantative contribution to British sport in that year. The award is...
  
  
• Overseas Personality
• Young Personality
• Helen Rollason Award
  BBC Sports Personality of the Year Helen Rollason Award
  The BBC Sports Personality of the Year Helen Rollason Award is an award given annually as part of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony each December. The award is given "for outstanding achievement in the face of adversity", and the winner is selected by BBC Sport...
  
  
• Unsung Hero Award
  BBC Sports Unsung Hero Award
  The BBC Sports Unsung Hero Award is an award given annually as part of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony each December. The award is given to the sportsperson who has made a substantive, yet unrecognised contribution to sport. Sportspeople are nominated by the public, and must be aged...
  
  
• Lifetime Achievement
  BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award
  The BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award is an award given annually as part of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony each December. The award is given to a sportsperson "who has made a major impact on the world of sport during their lifetime". The winner is...