While the presence of the world tennis No1 Andy Murray on the shortlist for BBC Sports Personality of the Year suggests the outcome of the public vote will be a formality, there are several conspicuous inclusions and absentees from a roll of honour that largely comprises Olympians and Paralympians nominated for their contributions to Team GB’s record‑breaking medal hauls in Rio.
The Masters winner Danny Willett and the footballers Jamie Vardy and Gareth Bale are the only three members of the 16-strong shortlist who did not represent Great Britain in Brazil, while the triathlete Alistair Brownlee, the long-distance runner Mo Farah and the track cyclist Laura Kenny are the nearest rivals to the white‑hot favourite Murray in the betting market.
The Scot will take some beating, having won gold in an epic Rio final against Juan Martín del Potro, just one of many highlights in a year when he also won a second Wimbledon singles title and topped the ATP rankings for the first time. As fierce a competitor on the court as he is modest and likeable off it, Murray is a two-time winner of the award and ticks both boxes required as he is currently peerless at his particular sport.
In Kenny, her husband Jason, the Paralympians Kadeena Cox and Dame Sarah Storey, the sport of cycling is well represented on the list, but the notable omission of Sir Bradley Wiggins, who in August became the most decorated Olympian in British history, has raised eyebrows. There is no place either for his former Sky team-mate Chris Froome, who has never captured the public imagination to the same extent as the more charismatic Wiggins, but whose achievement in winning a third Tour de France, as well as a bronze medal in the men’s Olympic road time trial at Rio, surely ought to have earned him a show.
The only obvious conclusion to be drawn is that the triumphs of both men have been overshadowed by their “outing” by Fancy Bears, the controversial hacking group that leaked documents revealing both riders had obtained therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs) in recent years.
If that is the case, Froome is entitled to feel hard done by as his use of TUEs was already in the public domain. Wiggins, by contrast, has yet to provide what many believe to be a satisfactory explanation for his use of the exemptions before the 2011 and 2012 Tours de France and the 2013 Giro D’Italia.
Once an undisputed national treasure, it is probably fair to say his halo could do with a spit and polish following controversial revelations about his three one-off injections of triamcinolone for a pollen allergy.
There are other notable absentees. In isolation, the inclusion of the 58-year-old Olympic gold medal‑winning showjumper Nick Skelton is far from extraordinary, but seems odd considering the absence from the shortlist of Charlotte Dujardin. Great Britain’s most successful Olympic equestrian, the 31-year-old from Enfield won gold and silver in the individual and team dressage events in Rio and her omission suggests Skelton may have been selected as the token oldie by a panel that includes the former athletes Ryan Giggs, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson and Victoria Pendleton, as well as assorted newspaper and TV sports editors.
While the astonishing achievements of the Premier League winners Leicester City and Euro 2016 semi-finalists Wales have been rightly saluted with the nominations of Vardy and Bale, it is also noteworthy that not a single player from the England rugby squad that followed up this year’s Grand Slam sweep with their first series win in Australia has been honoured.
The 2014 Spoty winner Lewis Hamilton also failed to make the cut, although his omission is less surprising and almost certainly down to his failure to win the F1 drivers’ championship rather than any fallout from his apparently endless series of entertainingly petulant spats with his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg.
Despite these assorted absentees, it is difficult to identify anyone who is undeserving of their place on this year’s extended 16-strong shortlist although that is unlikely to prevent the cacophony of carping that invariably soundtracks the buildup to this enjoyable orgy of backslapping which will be hosted by Gabby Logan, Gary Lineker and Clare Balding before a crowd of 12,000 people at Birmingham’s Genting Arena on 18 December.
Viewers can have their say on the night by phone or online and are invited to vote early and vote often.