Sir Mo Farah was recently crowned 2017 BBC Sports Personality of the Year, beating other nominees to the trophy, including Chris Froome, Anthony Joshua and Jonnie Peacock in the public vote.
Hosted by Gary Lineker, Gabby Logan and Claire Balding, the glittering ceremony was held in the Echo Arena in Liverpool. The ceremony involved the award of six trophies for achievements including Unsung Hero Award, Young Sports Personality of the Year, Lifetime Achievement Award, Team of the Year Award, Coach of the Year Award, and the coveted top prize of Sports Personality of the Year Award. Two other awards, Overseas Sports Personality of the Year and the Helen Rollason Award were announced before the ceremony.
The original trophy is still presented every year to the winner. Modelled on a ‘four turret lens’ television camera, the statuette sits on a wooden plinth. Individual shields are engraved with the winners’ name and sit around the plinth. As 64 years have passed since the awards inaugural ceremony, two new plinths have been added. The winner takes the trophy home for around nine months, after which it is returned to the organisers. Winners of the remaining seven categories each receive a scale model of their engraved awards.
The winner of the Sports Personality of the Year is decided by public vote on the night, and is the subject of much speculation when the 12 nominees are announced in November. The nominations are based on individual UK sporting achievements both nationally and internationally, and the impact this has ‘over and beyond’ their sport.