Olympic champion Tom Daley up for BBC Sports Personality of the Year
The gay sporting trailblazing is one of just six athletes nominated.
Words: Alastair James
The BBC has announced its shortlist of contenders for this year’s Sports Personality of the Year award, which features gold-medallist Tom Daley as well as, perhaps controversially the boxer, Tyson Fury.
The other nominees to make up the shortlist are swimmer Adam Peaty, tennis player Emma Raducanu, footballer Raheem Sterling and Paralympic cyclist Dame Sarah Storey.
The winner is set to be announced at an audience-less ceremony on Sunday 19 December and people will be able to vote during the televised event.
“What an honour to be on this list”
Tom Daley is of course featured for achieving his first gold medal in the men’s 10m synchro-diving at this year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, along with his diving partner Matty Lee. Daley also went on to claim a bronze medal in the solo 10m platform, becoming the first Team GB diver to win four Olympic medals.
The diver responded to the news in his Instagram story with the eye emoji. Another Team GB Olympic medallist, Adam Peaty also celebrated his nomination on Instagram saying, “What an honour to be on this list”. In Tokyo, he won gold in the 100m breaststroke and became the first British swimmer to defend an Olympic title.
The list also includes the controversial figure that is boxer, Tyson Fury, who told the Telegraph last week that he didn’t want to be included and would sue the national broadcaster if he was.
He told the paper: “It means nothing to me, and I don’t need it or want it. In fact, they will hear from my solicitors if they do put me on the list. Give it to someone who needs it. I don’t. We know who the sports personality of the year is anyway – it’s me.”
At the time of writing Fury, who beat Deontay Wilder to retain his WBC heavyweight title had yet to respond to the announcement he has made the shortlist.
Fury was also nominated for the SPOTY award in 2015 despite an online petition to have his name removed attracting thousands of signatures. The boxer has also courted controversy for his homophobic comments, including blaming homosexuality for an imminent apocalypse in 2015.
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