Tuesday, December 2, 2008

The Beeb's Top 10 British Sports Personalities

The BBC's Sports Personality of the Year contender list has been announced:

It contains the Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington, cycling champions Nicole Cooke, Chris Hoy (both of whom deserve credit for the admirable courage they displayed in speaking of their pride in representing Team GB), Rebecca Romero and Bradley Wiggins, sailor Ben Ainslie,400m gold medallist Christine Ohuruogu, Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton, boxer Joe Calzaghe and British (and proud of it) tennis number one Andy Murray.

The event will be held at the European City of Culture (I still can't believe it),Liverpool's Echo Arena and the UK public will be able to vote for their Sports Personality by telephone.

In any normal year, I'd say there were at least 6 of the list would be worthy winners and that's surely a sign of how healthy British sport is at the present moment in time. Also, no candidates from the Big 3 of football, rugby and cricket, although Utd must be in the running with the British Olympic posse for the team prize.

I suspect the public will plump for Lewis Hamilton, which is fair enough I suppose, although I'd maintain a large part of his success is down to the competence of his back-up team; Joe Calzaghe would be a worthy winner of the Lifetime Achievement award.

The show will be on 14th December and coverage will also be available on the BBC Sport website, the Red Button and BBC

2 comments:

Wyrdtimes said...

"...and British (and proud of it) tennis number one Andy Murray."

He just doesn't like the big bit formerly known as England now renamed by our foreign overlords as "the regions"

O'Neill said...

It was a feeble attempt at irony
;)

He's brushed up the PR side a bit in the last few years, but if he ever wins Wimbledon I seriously doubt it will be the Jack he'll be wrapping himself in....