BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award previous winners: full list from 1954 to present and 2022 odds

BBC will host this year’s Sports Personality of the Year awards ceremony this evening after another excellent year for athletes across the United Kingdom. The six nominees for the award were confirmed earlier this week following a dramatic men’s World Cup final in Qatar.

Despite one of the most exciting World Cups ever seen, no male footballers made the list - though Beth Mead has confirmed herself as a favourite to lift the trophy after her success with England’s Lionesses. The Arsenal forward lifted the Golden Boot and was also named Player of the Tournament as Sarina Wiegman’s side made history by winning the Euro 2022 tournament on home soil.

Familiar faces in Ronnie O’Sullivan and Ben Stokes have also been nominated for this year’s award after their respective victories in the Snooker World Championship and men’s T20 World Cup. Meanwhile, Jessica Gadirova was added to the list after she became only the fifth British gymnast to be individual world champion and also won bronze to claim Britain’s first world all-around medal, as well as winning silver in the team event. Eve Muirhead is up for the award after she led the Great Britain women’s team to a curling gold at the 2022 Winter Olympics to become Scotland’s most decorated curler, while Jake Wightman is also nominated after he claimed the 1500m gold at the World Championships - becoming the first British man to win the world title in the event since Steve Cram in 1983.

The six athletes will go head to head in tonight’s award ceremony and will be looking to add their own name onto a long list of highly talented individuals who have lifted the trophy since the inaugural ceremony in 1954. Ahead of this evening’s event, we take a look at every single athlete that has won the BBC SPOTY award over the past 68 years.

Previous winners

1950s

• 1954 - Sir Chris Chataway (athletics)

• 1955 - Gordon Pirie (athletics)

• 1956 - Jim Laker (cricket)

• 1957 - Dai Rees (golf)

• 1958 - Ian Black (swimming)

• John Surtees (motorcycle racing)

• David Broome (show jumping)

• Stirling Moss (Formula One)

• Anita Lonsbrough (swimming)

• Dorothy Hyman (athletics)

• Mary Rand (athletics)

• Tom Simpson (cycling)

• Bobby Moore (football)

• Henry Cooper (boxing)

• David Hemery (athletics)

• Ann Jones (tennis)

• Henry Cooper (boxing)

• Princess Anne (eventing)

• Mary Peters (athletics)

• Jackie Stewart (Formula One)

• Brendan Foster (athletics)

• David Steele (cricket)

• John Curry (figure skating)

• Virginia Wade (tennis)

• Steve Ovett (athletics)

• Sebastian Coe (athletics)

• Robin Cousins (figure skating)

• Ian Botham (cricket)

• Daley Thompson (athletics)

• Steve Cram (athletics)

• Torvill and Dean (figure skating)

• Barry McGuigan (boxing)

• Nigel Mansell (Formula One)

• Fatima Whitbread (athletics)

• Steve Davis (Snooker)

• Nick Faldo (golf)

• Paul Gascoigne (football)

• Liz McColgan (athletics)

• Nigel Mansell (Formula One)

• Linford Christie (athletics)

• Damon Hill (Formula One)

• Jonathan Edwards (athletics)

• Damon Hill (Formula One)

• Greg Rusedski (tennis)

• Michael Owen (football)

• Lennox Lewis (boxing)

• Steve Redgrave (rowing)

• David Beckham (football)

• Paula Radcliffe (athletics)

• Jonny Wilkinson (rugby union)

• Kelly Holmes (athletics)

• Andrew Flintoff (cricket)

• Zara Phillips (eventing)

• Joe Calzaghe (boxing)

• Chris Hoy (cycling)

• Ryan Giggs (football)

• Tony McCoy (horse racing)

• Mark Cavendish (cycling)

• Bradley Wiggins (cycling)

• Andy Murray (tennis)

• Lewis Hamilton (Formula One)

• Andy Murray (tennis)

• Andy Murray (tennis)

• Mo Farah (athletics)

• Geraint Thomas (cycling)

• Ben Stokes (cricket)

• Lewis Hamilton (Formula One)

• Emma Raducanu (tennis)

Who is the favourite to win BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2022?

Arsenal and England’s Beth Mead is the clear favourite to win this year’s award after her Euro 2022 victory. The 27-year-old would become the first female footballer to lift the trophy and also the second consecutive woman to win it after Emma Raducanu last year. The teenager was the first since Zara Phillips in 2006.

Here are Sky Bet’s odds for the award...

• Beth Mead 1/6

• Ben Stokes 9/2

• Ronnie O’Sullivan 40/1

• Eve Muirhead 100/1

• Jake Wightman 100/1

• Jessica Gadirova 100/1