BBC Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year

BBC World Sport Star of the Year
CountryUnited Kingdom
Presented byBBC Sports Personality of the Year
Formerly calledBBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year
First awarded1960; 64 years ago (1960)
Most recent winnerErling Haaland (2023)
Websitehttps://www.bbc.com/sport/sports-personality Edit this on Wikidata

The BBC World Sport Star of the Year (formerly known as the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year[1][2]) is an award presented at the annual BBC Sports Personality of the Year award ceremony. The award is presented to a non-British sportsperson considered to have made the most substantial contribution to a sport in that year. The award was decided by a panel of over 30 sporting journalists. Each panellist voted for their top two choices; their first preference was awarded two points, and their second preference was awarded one point. The winning sportsperson had the most total points. In the case of a points tie, the sportsperson chosen as first preference by the most panellists is the winner. If this is also a tie the award is shared.[3] In 2015 the public voted for this award.

The Overseas Personality award was first presented in 1960, six years after the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award was introduced. The first recipient of the award was Australian middle distance runner Herb Elliott.[4] Since then, the award has been presented to 52 sportspersons. Swiss tennis player Roger Federer has won the award four times. American boxer Muhammad Ali and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt have both won the award three times.[5] The award has been shared on three occasions—by Ron Clarke and Gary Player in 1965, Eusébio and Garfield Sobers in 1966, and Evander Holyfield and Michael Johnson in 1996.[6] The husband-and-wife skating duo of Oleg Protopopov and Ludmila Belousova are the only pair to have won the award, doing so in 1968.[7] Belousova was the first woman to become Overseas Personality—she was also the oldest, aged 33. George Moore is the oldest recipient of the award, winning in 1967 aged 44. The youngest recipient of the award is Nadia Comăneci, who won in 1976 at age 15. Boris Becker, who was 18 when he won in 1985, is the youngest male to have won.[6]

Twenty-seven different countries have been represented by the award winners as of 2023. United States sportspersons have won the award the most times, having had nineteen recipients, two of whom shared the award. Three cricketers have received the award -- Garfield Sobers of Barbados, Brian Lara of Trinidad and Tobago (both of whom played for the West Indies cricket team), and Shane Warne of Australia.[8][9] Fourteen sporting disciplines have been represented; tennis has the highest representation, with fifteen recipients.

Only one winner has ever been stripped of the award – US cyclist Lance Armstrong, whose 2003 award was rescinded following the UCI's 2012 decision to strip him of his titles and ban him for life from the sport.[10]

In 2018, the award was renamed BBC World Sport Star of the Year. Along with the change of name, votes could be cast from outside of the UK for the first time.[2]

  1. ^ "Warne lands BBC Overseas accolade". BBC. 11 December 2005. Archived from the original on 24 December 2006. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  2. ^ a b "BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2018: Nominees to be revealed live on the night". BBC. 2 October 2018. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  3. ^ "Sports Personality voting & judging: Terms & conditions". BBC. 18 November 2008. Archived from the original on 18 January 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  4. ^ "Sports Personality facts and figures". BBC. 9 October 2008. Archived from the original on 17 December 2008. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
  5. ^ "Joe Calzaghe named Sports Personality of the Year". Daily Post. 10 December 2007. Archived from the original on 13 May 2008. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  6. ^ a b "50th Sports Personality of the Year: Facts and figures". BBC. 11 November 2003. Archived from the original on 7 January 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2009.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference propotov was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Mike Selvey (10 April 2004). "Batting on". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2009.
  9. ^ Martin Gough (19 April 2007). "Legend Lara to end Windies career". BBC. Archived from the original on 4 February 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2009.
  10. ^ "BBC strip Lance Armstrong of award". Evening Standard. London. 18 December 2012. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2013.