SPOTY 2024 LIVE: Start time, nominees and updates with Keely Hodgkinson and Luke Littler favourites

Voting will open for the main award during the ceremony itself, which starts at 7pm.

Fans can vote online or by telephone or by scanning a QR code which will be visible on screen for those watching. Scanning it will take you directly to the vote page.

In order to cast your vote online, you must sign in to a BBC account (or register if you don’t have one already).

Once the vote is open, you can either dial to vote for your favourite, or vote online. You can only vote once and must be in the UK to vote on the website.

Keely Hodgkinson was already a world-class athlete long before that sticky August night inside the Stade de France when she streaked clear to claim Olympic glory. And yet it is a mark of the Games’ unique power that even an elite 800m runner can have their life changed by winning that first Olympic title. With gold came more recognition, more opportunities, and more strange encounters in ordinary life.

“I was pottery painting in a little cafe in Sale… that was random,” she says, pondering some of the oddest moments of her post-Paris era. “Some woman came in and was like: ‘Are you the runner?’”

A more glamorous encounter came when she was flown out to Milan Fashion Week in September, courtesy of Armani. “The trip was absolutely amazing,” she beams. “They flew me out and I sat in the front row at the fashion show. We had lots of dinners, I got to meet him, Giorgio Armani … He came over to me and he put his hand on my cheek and called me bella, which I thought was really nice. He can’t speak English but he’s quite into his sport. It was just quite funny because he’s just this powerful, small man. He’s a lot older now, he’s 90 years old, but he looks great.”

There is an award for the Young Sports Personality of the Year, which is awarded to a sportsperson who is aged 17 or under as of 1 January 2024. The three nominees are Littler, who is favourite to win, Olympic skateboarding medallist Sky Brown and Paralympic swimmer William Ellard.

In addition, there is an award for the World Sport Star, which is simply given to the non-British sports star who has achieved the most in that year – this was awarded to Erling Haaland in 2023.

The Unsung Hero Award is given to people in the local community to reward ‘unseen’ work in grassroots sports, with nominations made by the public. while the Helen Rollason Award is given for “outstanding achievement in the face of adversity” , and the winner is selected by BBC Sport.

Betting sites have priced up the six nominees with the golden girl of British athletics a strong favourite to take home the prize:

Luke Littler is another contender, with the now-17 year old enjoying a breakout year in the darts world after becoming the youngest ever player to reach the PDC World Darts Championship final.

Full list of SPOTY contenders:

Jude Bellingham (football)

Keely Hodgkinson (athletics)

Dame Sarah Storey (para cycling)

The ceremony will take place on Tuesday, 17 December in Salford, Greater Manchester.

It will be televised live on BBC One, with coverage starting at 7pm. Subscribers can also watch on BBC iPlayer, while there will also be coverage on the BBC Sport website and app.

The BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award returns this week, with some of the biggest names in UK sport vying to join names such as Lewis Hamilton, Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu as winners.

The prestigious prize, which is judged via a public vote, is given to the sportsperson who is seen to have been the most successful in the last year, though several other factors, such as the general impact of the athlete, are also taken into account.

In 2023, Lionesses goalkeeper Mary Earps won the award off the back of her performances in the Women’s World Cup, which included a now-famous penalty save in the final against Spain.

Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of tonight’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony.

Some brilliant British athletes are on the shortlist for the award after an eventful 2024, though names such as Jude Bellingham and Joe Root look set to miss out to Olympic medalist Keely Hodgkinson, who won gold at Paris 2024 with a memorable performance in the 800m.

Though that isn’t the only award up for grabs, and we’ll have all the latest updates and winners right here.