In addition to the main award, there were seven other awards: Team of the Year, Coach of the Year, Overseas Sports Personality of the Year, Young Sports Personality of the Year, Helen Rollason Award, Lifetime Achievement Award and Unsung Hero.[2]
Controversy
There were calls to remove Tyson Fury from the nominees list, after comments he made were criticised as homophobic and sexist.[3][4]
Nominees
The nominees were revealed on 30 November 2015.[5]
Led Great Britain to victory in the Davis Cup for the first time in 79 years. In doing so, he became only the third player to win 8 singles rubbers (the maximum possible) and the fourth player to win 11 rubbers.
Became the first athlete to achieve the long distance "double-double" (5,000 / 10,000 metres) at the IAAF World Championships. Also became the first Briton to win outdoor titles in three World Championships, both consecutively and outright.
Won the pommel horse in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. Also became the first British male to win a global title, and the first to win three medals in one World Championship.
Won the long jump in the IAAF World Championships. Also became the fifth Briton to hold Olympic, World, European, and Commonwealth titles simultaneously, and the first to also hold the IAAF Diamond League title.
Won the 50m/100m breaststroke and the 4 × 100 m mixed medley relay in the FINA World Championships. Set three world records during the season and became the first Briton to claim three world titles in a single championship.