Search
shop

BBC SPOTY 2024: Date, start time, how to watch live and vote tonight as Alex Yee bids for ICONIC award

Editor-In-Chief
Last updated -
Get the ultimate guide to destination racing

It’s been a quite incredible year for Britain’s Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee, but there is STILL one more major prize up for grabs – BBC Sports Personality Of The Year (better known these days as SPOTY). And the day has arrived (Tuesday December 17)…

For anybody not living in the UK, this is probably the biggest sports award handed out in this nation every year – getting massive publicity in mainstream media. Partly because it is of course backed and handed out by the national broadcaster.

Triathlon has come close before to winning the prize, and now swim/bike/run has another shot with Yee one of the possibles after that epic surge past the gallant Hayden Wilde to claim gold at Paris 2024 in July.

The competition is hot though, as you would imagine with every single sport under the sun having the chance to contend for the big prize. So as the countdown reaches a climax, here is all we know ahead of the 2024 spectacular.

Alex Yee wins Paris 2024 Olympic Games
Paris 2024 Olympic Games by Wagner Araujo (@wags.photo)
Advertisement

When is BBC SPOTY 2024?

SPOTY will be handed out at a glittering awards ceremony to take place at BBC Sport’s headquarters in MediaCity, Salford, Manchester tonight (Tuesday December 17, 2024). It will of course be televised live to the nation on BBC One so everybody can watch the event unfold.

The ceremony and TV coverage gets under way at 1900 local time – that is 2000 CET, 1400 Eastern Time in the US or 1100 PST if you are watching on the West Coast. The coverage runs for two hours.

How does SPOTY work?

A shortlist of six athletes was announced on December 9, and those athletes are now in with a chance of winning the hallowed prize tonight. And now we KNOW Alex Yee is in with a big chance.

The shortlist is as follows:

  • Keely Hodgkinson: Olympic 800m champion
  • Alex Yee: Olympic triathlon champion
  • Sarah Storey: Para cycling great
  • Luke Littler: Darts sensation
  • Jude Bellingham: Real Madrid and England soccer star
  • Joe Root: England cricket star

Tonight in Manchester, the final results will be announced and we will know the 2024 BBC Sports Personality Of The Year.

So who actually decides the contenders, and then the winner? An expert panel will pick that six-athlete shortlist, and then the winner of the award will be decided by a public vote. We’ll add details of how and where you can vote, right here, once official.

Advertisement

How to vote for SPOTY

Voting has now closed for BBC SPOTY 2024.

Who is favourite for SPOTY?

This is a big deal, so of course there are odds, normally a pretty good place to start when working out who is favourite. Right now Britain’s Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson is favourite, with Alex Yee a 66/1 fourth favourite:

  • 1/4 Keely Hodgkinson
  • 11/4 Luke Littler
  • 40/1 Joe Root
  • 50/1 Alex Yee
  • 100/1 Jude Bellingham
  • 100/1 Sarah Storey

All odds were correct at 0700 UK on Tuesday December 17, 2024.

There are other positive signs too – Alex recently claimed the vaunted SJA Sportsman of the Year award, and his triathlon success was voted by the public as the TeamGB Moment of the Games in Paris. So a lot of people remember very well what he did on that epic day in the French capital on July 31.

Triathlon and SPOTY

Triathlon has yet to claim the Sports Personality of the Year award, but it has come close before.

One Alistair Brownlee finished second in the voting behind tennis icon Andy Murray back in 2016. Alistair had just claimed his second Olympic gold in Rio, and even more fresh in the public memory was that famous moment with brother Jonny in Cozumel.

Alistair Brownlee, Jonny Brownle, Rio 2016 Olympic Games podium celebration
Alistair Brownlee finished second in SPOTY in 2016 after that Olympic success in Rio.
Graham Shaw
Written by
Graham Shaw
Graham has been involved with TRI247 & RUN247 since the summer of 2021. Since then he has provided strategic direction for all news and is passionate about the growth of triathlon as a fan sport.
Discover more
tri-fit vortex tri suit review
TRI-FIT VORTEX tri suit review – race day approved performance
Maja Stage Nielsen Kat Matthews Jocelyn McCauley IRONMAN Texas 2023 podium photo credit IRONMAN
PremiumRacing to keep up: Is social media making us train harder?
Cadomotus chronos aero triathlon cycling shoes
The triathlon cycling shoe that promises a 10-watt saving: Cadomotus Chronos Aero triathlon cycling shoes review
Wahoo ELEMNT RIVAL
PremiumTraining to heart rate vs power on the bike
Caroline Pohle Lena Meissner ironman 703 jonkoping sprint 2025
PremiumHow to pace a triathlon to leave it all out there WITHOUT blowing up
latest News
Tim Don Supertri Toronto 2025
Tim Don: Watch out for Jonny Brownlee bounce back and Fanni Szalai at Supertri Chicago
Morgan Pearson run T100 San Francisco 2025
Morgan Pearson born to run – ‘maybe I’m the T100 X Factor with a lot to prove’
Georgia Taylor Brown smiles Supertri Toronto 2025
‘It might take a miracle but I’ll give it my best shot’ – can GTB repeat Supertri Chicago win?
Sam Renouf CEO of the PTO
T100 Valencia replacement announced as PTO chief acknowledges “challenges” with 2025 calendar
ironman hamburg 2025 podium laura philipp kat matthews solveig lovseth
Matthews and Løvseth clash again in star-studded IRONMAN 70.3 Zell am See
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
The 247 Group

The home of endurance sports

TRI247-LOGO_Primary-Black_RGB-1

CHOOSE YOUR MEMBERSHIP TO BECOME PART OF SOMETHING EPIC

We’re on a mission to elevate the world of endurance sport, becoming your go-to resource for expert training tips and inspiration, unbiased reporting and creating a platform for grassroots voices. But we can’t do it without you on board! Choose a TRI247+ membership option below and become part of something epic.

All plans include a 7-day free trial

£7.95/month

Unlimited access. No ads. A whole library of tips, advice and inspiration at your finger tips, and the chance to shape the future of triathlon journalism.

100+ new articles/month

You’ll also gain access to our other premium websites:

Have an account? Sign in

All plans include a 7-day free trial

£47.95/year
£95.40/year

50% Discount

100+ new articles/month

Unlimited access. No ads. A whole library of tips, advice and inspiration at your finger tips, and the chance to shape the future of triathlon journalism.

You’ll also gain access to our other premium websites:

Have an account? Sign in

Share to...