Last Updated: Thursday, 11 December, 2003, 13:31 GMT
A potted history of the Sports Personality of the Year awards.
BBC's Sports Personality of the Year was created in 1954 by Sir Paul Fox, then editor of the magazine show Sportsview, and presenter Peter Dimmock.
Dimmock was the first of nine presenters.
Frank Bough, Harry Carpenter, Des Lynam, Steve Rider, Sue Barker, Gary Lineker, Clare Balding and John Inverdale have all played their part since.
Bough was the longest running presenter, notching up a record 19 shows between 1964 and 1982.
The first recipient of the BBC Television Personality of The Year award in 1954 was long-distance runner Chris Chataway. Paula Radcliffe's win in 2000 was the 16th time a track and field athlete had received the accolade.
Only three people have won the award twice: Henry Cooper (1967 and 1970), Nigel Mansell (1986 and 1992) and Damon Hill (1994 and 1996).
In 1960, the first Overseas Personality of the Year award was picked up by Australian athlete Herb Elliott. The same year, the inaugural Team of the Year prize was presented to the Cooper Formula One Racing team.
Swimmer Anita Lonsbrough was the first female to win Personality of the Year in 1962.
Skating duo Torvill and Dean won Team of the Year twice (1982 and 1983) and Sports Personality of the Year once, in their golden year of 1984.
Bobby Moore, Nick Faldo, showjumper David Broome, Steve Redgrave and David Beckham are the only others to have collected the individual prize and been part of a winning Team of the Year.
Muhammad Ali has been named Overseas Personality of the Year a record three times (1973, 74 and 78), and the resulting interviews were further proof as to why.
After athletics, with 16, motor racing has provided the most individual award winners, with six. Boxing and football have thrown up four, cricket, tennis and ice skating three, with cycling, rowing and snooker providing one winner each.
No rugby union player has ever won Sports Personality of the Year, although Will Carling finished second.
When Mary Peters collected her award from 1971 winner Princess Anne, the athlete joked: "Haven't you kept it clean?"
Before Michael Owen won the award in 1998, ice skaters had been honoured more than footballers with the main award. David Beckam put the footballers ahead 4-3 two years ago.
The Team of the Year prize has been won four times by the Ryder Cup Golf team (1985, 1987, 1995 and 2003).
The West Indies cricket team won the team prize in 1963, the only entirely overseas outfit to have done so.
The Overseas Personality of the Year for 1996 was shared for the first time, boxer Evander Holyfield and Olympic athlete Michael Johnson dividing the spoils.
The show is broadcast live from BBC Television Centre.
Several new awards have been introduced in recent years.Sir Alex Ferguson was named as the first winner of the Coach of the Year award in 1999The Manchester United manager won a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001Dean Macey and Jenson Button won the Newcomer of the Year awards in 1999 and 2000 respectivelyThat award was replaced by the Young Personality of the Year prize in 2001The Helen Rollason Award, named after the former BBC sports presenter who died after a brave battle against cancer, was introduced in 1999.
Four awards have been presented only once. Manager of the Year - Leeds United's Don Revie (1969)
Special Team Award - GB men's 4x400m team (1986)
Good Sport Awards - Derek Warwick, Martin Donnelly,
Louise Aitken-Walker for motorsport (1990)
International Team Award - Alan Bond and the crew of Australia II in sailing (1983)