Spoty 2026 starts here

Not to mention course record holder at Total Wipeout

That's no way to talk about his fishing Clyde

He's probably more befitting of the Lifetime Achievement award TBF

As a carp fisherman myself, I back it

Commonwealth Games next year. So I can have my usual c0 ck bet on Helen Housby

She might wear Ellie's dress to the awards ceremony

Helen houseby would fit into the paper wrapping of a crayon.  Probably the one fig writes his betting slips with

lol brushy. Cancel that bet

Just heard TNT have the live rights to next years Commonwealth Games

That's one way to finally kill the games

Housby's best bits will be on BBC2 at 1am every night

Sales of pro plus and kleenex through the roof

I've just had to google image search quite a lot...I mean google quite a lot...

Fig is a MASSIVE fan

Shameful you didn't know her stu. She's an amazonian goddess

And very good at netball. Obviously

I think he thinks that if he gets her at 1000 and she wins she'll come round and clean up his Hove lovenest

I'm sure I'll get her @ 1000. The other 2 parts seem unlikely

Sunland will be 27 George, but wearside warms up
by getting pickford to spoty glory after saving
28 pelanties in 4 shootouts on way to world Cup glory.

Dropping the cup gave us all a few doubts but lack of
serious competition sees him 1.02 on the night

Get the rave on.

Good idea on pickahz

We've had a jawdan no2, now for no1

Shameful you didn't know her stu. She's an amazonian goddess

Can't disagree Fig

Thread a day old and groupthink already :(

Draper already missing for grand slam 1

Is he shorter for SPOTY than the tournaments yet

Well, 1000 for Australia, so yes :)

lol, and 16/1 on sportsbook for spoty - we better not all rush at once, we'll collapse the price

Took a long time but market is up. I wonder if they've been sorting the mess last year ended up as

Probably not

HNY Sir George!

...sadly SPOTY is no longer what it once was thanks to unnecessary meddling by the BBC.

HNY figgy and stu! :)

Happy new year Jim, who's pants are we filling this time?

Spoty always a long game for me so I've found the markets still OK tbh

Oh and you should be happy, a golfer won and at the last medical it had testicals!

Yes SPOTY is a perpetual game of fun, but I did prefer it when there were 10, 12 or 16 nominees, (*naturally including the David 'WeirWolf' lol), and being announced 3 weeks in advance of the show. Having just 6 nominees give the BBC too much ability to get the result they want and doesn't give any fringe sports the spotlight that imo they genuinely deserve.

Although my book would have preferred Ellie K to win, Rory was a deserving SPOTY 2025 winner having being gubbed in 2014 by Hamilton and 'finally' completing the 'Full House' with his Masters Win last April.

That's a good point about the minority sports. They could have had that mma guy in with 10 nominees, and he might have been a lively runner

And they are hampering their own diversity cause by not having room for a para.  The mma guy could have ticked both boxes now

Who needs adding?

Morgan Rogers for sure.

Mctominay and Mcginn.

Hi Jim, and HNY to you too.

Littler must be already cementing his yearly shortlisting...

Not many years when world darts champ is nommed. Last 2 an exception

True, but he's already becoming the most famous darts player of all time at this rate.

I sense an army thread...

He'll be closing in on a lifetime achievement award by time he's 20

Would be beaten by pickford saving one penna in a quarter final and still going out. Hardly worth a nom now.

Root isn't listed lol

Root isn't listed lol

Market still fixated on listing Stokes instead.

Littler? An easy and obvious max red.

Happy New Year Tim - may the betting Gods be with you in 2026! :)

And to you!

looks a bit of a thin year for SPOTY

With Arsenal about to win the prem, the chances of Rice winning player of the year are high. Good chance of a strong Champions League showing too.

England 6/1 to win WC, Kane 10/1. I think Rice at 33/1 is a good bet

Agree Lifter - he's a nice personable chap, as well as a top quality player.

...like so many others, Declan Rice definitely 'could' win.

If the teams do well, he's certainly one that would be in line for a nom - becoming a focal player for club and country.

Footy players have a fairly decent 'natural' voting support if they get listed (alone not as two as recently...)
I think he could pick up a fair bit of the female votes too - nice young man.

It's all longshotting at the moment, but he's a not a bad punt at prices.

Historically (male) footie players have done very poorly in SPOTY. In all of the years when there were 10, 12 or 16 noms, Wayne Rooney didn't receive a single nomination.

During his playing years all of Michael Vaughan, Monty Panesar, Nicole Cooke, Beth Tweddle, Christine Ohuruogu, Justin Rose, Jason Robinson, James Toseland, Rebecca Romero, Phillips Idowu, David Haye, Andrew Strauss, Graeme Swann, Amy Williams, Amir Khan, Dai Greene, Luke Donald, Katherine Grainger, Ellie Simmonds, David Weir, Ian Bell, Nicola Adams, Hannah Cockroft, Carl Froch, Lizzie Yarnold, Lizzie Armitstead, Gareth Bale, Greg Rutherford, Kelly Gallagher, Charlotte Dujardin, Jo Pavey, Lucy Bronze, Sarah Storey, Danny Willett, Kadeena Cox, Jamie Vardy, Kate Richardson-Walsh, Sophie Christiansen, Elise Christie, Johanna Konta, Bianca Walkden, Anja Shrubsole ALL received SPOTY shortlist nomination(s). Andy Murray received 10 noms between 2005 and 2017 and Lewis Hamilton a similar number over the years, but Wayne Rooney didn't receive a single nomination!

In 2017, being the last year that the voting stats were released by the BBC, there were 8 men and 4 women nominated in the shortlist. The men filled positions 1-8 and the women filled positions 9-12. This is why the BBC no longer release the voting stats as they must believe the voting public are sexist in some way. In 2017 Harry Kane finished last of the men in 8th position with 3.44% of the total vote with 18,759 votes - where were all of the Spurs fans?

Torvil and Dean won spoty back in the day combined

I wonder if this could ever happen again, pinsent and
Redgrave were never coupled for spoty, so probably not.

I guess betfair would settle as dead heat, in unlikely event
of it happening.

Funny fact, but I was friends with his cousin as a teen, and he brought DR along to the park fishing. He bought a tennis ball along with him and was doing some kickups. Lovely chap, and yeah, got a great personality. Will have a long career even after he hangs up the boots.

Jan 6, 2026 -- 6:49PM, Jim Duncan wrote:

Historically (male) footie players have done very poorly in SPOTY. In all of the years when there were 10, 12 or 16 noms, Wayne Rooney didn't receive a single nomination.During his playing years all of Michael Vaughan, Monty Panesar, Nicole Cooke, Beth Tweddle, Christine Ohuruogu, Justin Rose, Jason Robinson, James Toseland, Rebecca Romero, Phillips Idowu, David Haye, Andrew Strauss, Graeme Swann, Amy Williams, Amir Khan, Dai Greene, Luke Donald, Katherine Grainger, Ellie Simmonds, David Weir, Ian Bell, Nicola Adams, Hannah Cockroft, Carl Froch, Lizzie Yarnold, Lizzie Armitstead, Gareth Bale, Greg Rutherford, Kelly Gallagher, Charlotte Dujardin, Jo Pavey, Lucy Bronze, Sarah Storey, Danny Willett, Kadeena Cox, Jamie Vardy, Kate Richardson-Walsh, Sophie Christiansen, Elise Christie, Johanna Konta, Bianca Walkden, Anja Shrubsole ALL received SPOTY shortlist nomination(s). Andy Murray received 10 noms between 2005 and 2017 and Lewis Hamilton a similar number over the years, but Wayne Rooney didn't receive a single nomination!In 2017, being the last year that the voting stats were released by the BBC, there were 8 men and 4 women nominated in the shortlist. The men filled positions 1-8 and the women filled positions 9-12. This is why the BBC no longer release the voting stats as they must believe the voting public are sexist in some way. In 2017 Harry Kane finished last of the men in 8th position with 3.44% of the total vote with 18,759 votes - where were all of the Spurs fans?

Yeah that's fair. Got to think winning the World Cup is what's needed.

Jan 6, 2026 -- 6:49PM, Jim Duncan wrote:

Historically (male) footie players have done very poorly in SPOTY. In all of the years when there were 10, 12 or 16 noms, Wayne Rooney didn't receive a single nomination.During his playing years all of Michael Vaughan, Monty Panesar, Nicole Cooke, Beth Tweddle, Christine Ohuruogu, Justin Rose, Jason Robinson, James Toseland, Rebecca Romero, Phillips Idowu, David Haye, Andrew Strauss, Graeme Swann, Amy Williams, Amir Khan, Dai Greene, Luke Donald, Katherine Grainger, Ellie Simmonds, David Weir, Ian Bell, Nicola Adams, Hannah Cockroft, Carl Froch, Lizzie Yarnold, Lizzie Armitstead, Gareth Bale, Greg Rutherford, Kelly Gallagher, Charlotte Dujardin, Jo Pavey, Lucy Bronze, Sarah Storey, Danny Willett, Kadeena Cox, Jamie Vardy, Kate Richardson-Walsh, Sophie Christiansen, Elise Christie, Johanna Konta, Bianca Walkden, Anja Shrubsole ALL received SPOTY shortlist nomination(s). Andy Murray received 10 noms between 2005 and 2017 and Lewis Hamilton a similar number over the years, but Wayne Rooney didn't receive a single nomination!In 2017, being the last year that the voting stats were released by the BBC, there were 8 men and 4 women nominated in the shortlist. The men filled positions 1-8 and the women filled positions 9-12. This is why the BBC no longer release the voting stats as they must believe the voting public are sexist in some way. In 2017 Harry Kane finished last of the men in 8th position with 3.44% of the total vote with 18,759 votes - where were all of the Spurs fans?

Yeah that's fair. Got to think winning the WC is needed

Jan 6, 2026 -- 6:49PM, Jim Duncan wrote:

Historically (male) footie players have done very poorly in SPOTY. In all of the years when there were 10, 12 or 16 noms, Wayne Rooney didn't receive a single nomination.During his playing years all of Michael Vaughan, Monty Panesar, Nicole Cooke, Beth Tweddle, Christine Ohuruogu, Justin Rose, Jason Robinson, James Toseland, Rebecca Romero, Phillips Idowu, David Haye, Andrew Strauss, Graeme Swann, Amy Williams, Amir Khan, Dai Greene, Luke Donald, Katherine Grainger, Ellie Simmonds, David Weir, Ian Bell, Nicola Adams, Hannah Cockroft, Carl Froch, Lizzie Yarnold, Lizzie Armitstead, Gareth Bale, Greg Rutherford, Kelly Gallagher, Charlotte Dujardin, Jo Pavey, Lucy Bronze, Sarah Storey, Danny Willett, Kadeena Cox, Jamie Vardy, Kate Richardson-Walsh, Sophie Christiansen, Elise Christie, Johanna Konta, Bianca Walkden, Anja Shrubsole ALL received SPOTY shortlist nomination(s). Andy Murray received 10 noms between 2005 and 2017 and Lewis Hamilton a similar number over the years, but Wayne Rooney didn't receive a single nomination!In 2017, being the last year that the voting stats were released by the BBC, there were 8 men and 4 women nominated in the shortlist. The men filled positions 1-8 and the women filled positions 9-12. This is why the BBC no longer release the voting stats as they must believe the voting public are sexist in some way. In 2017 Harry Kane finished last of the men in 8th position with 3.44% of the total vote with 18,759 votes - where were all of the Spurs fans?

Yeah that's fair. Got to think it hinges on actually winning the WC.

Is winning the WC quite crucial then you think Lifter

Gazza, lineker both won in heroic failures. The appetite is there for the right character and performance

Look at stu, worrying about spoty at 3am :)

Even losing on pens in round of 16 could be enough for a jock to excite their voters

Scoring winner in group game to qualify for knock outs
would be best ever Scotland at World Cup, and hero
status, portrayed by some Aussie in Hollywood blockbuster
and spoty nom.

Look at stu, worrying about spoty at 3am :)

Probably more accurate to say 'taking the pee, in silly forum posts' rather than worrying about spoty, but yes fair enough - I should be sleeping more.

Isabelle Boffey ran the second fastest ever indoor 800m by a British athlete as she clocked one minute 57.43 seconds to win at the BU Terrier Classic in Boston.

The 25-year-old was almost two seconds faster than her previous best time, either indoors or outdoors, and is now only behind 2024 Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson, who holds the British indoor 800m record at 1:57.18.

Boffey's time is the fastest in the world this year and makes her the eighth-fastest women ever over the distance indoors.

Winter Olympics 2026: GB's Matt Weston flies into the lead after opening runs of men's singles skeleton competition

Team GB's reigning world champion leads the standings after the first two runs with Germany's Axel Jungk and Christopher Grotheer second and third fastest heading into Friday's final.



Currently 30-34

That run almost guarantees gold for Weston

16-20 Weston.

Gold medal, well done Matt.

Totally free money

£400 traded at 11.0

He'll be long forgotten by December, easy and obvious max red

Struggling to remember him now

Skeleton Bob...

2nd gold for Matt, nicely built up by comms who didn't have
a clue, and his price went out to 30,and now into 12.

11.5 and falling

Had 3/10ths to catch up in relay, and was faster
than German blokes anyway, caught up shortly after
start, lol, comms still building him up... Claire balding.

Feb 13, 2026 -- 9:57PM, timbuctooth wrote:

He'll be long forgotten by December, easy and obvious max red

Yes, it's a long time but England would need to win the World Cup or Lando Norris the Formula One title. There's no women's football this year or women's rugby to get in the way. If Rory wins the Masters again he'd be in with a shout. Struggling to see any other possibles.

Hmmm, not following the Olympics, not knowing he had prospects of a second gold, I might have been a bit premature... Still, awful long way to go, plenty of time for him to drift, for the usual suspects to do their thing, or other unheralded runners to achieve something unexpected

Keely Hodgkinson has broken the long-standing women's indoor 800m world record, set by Slovenia's Jolanda Ceplak on the day the Briton was born almost 24 years ago.

Olympic champion Hodgkinson crossed the line in one minute 54.87 seconds in Lievin, France, taking almost one second off Ceplak's time of 1:55.82 which had endured since 3 March 2002.

Bruce Mouat and his rink have guaranteed Team GB's fourth medal of these Winter Olympics after seeing off unbeaten Switzerland 8-5 to reach the men's curling final in Cortina.

The British quartet - who are the reigning world champions - will face Canada in Saturday's final (18:05 GMT), looking to upgrade the silver medal they won four years ago in Beijing.

But that is the least these four Scots will achieve in these Games in Italy.

Mouat, Grant Hardie, Hammy McMillan and Bobby Lammie came here top of the world rankings and targeting nothing other than what the emotional skip called "our gold medal" in the immediate aftermath.

And for all they struggled in the round robin and only earned their place in the medal-matches thanks to Italy losing on Thursday morning, they now stand one step away from achieving that ambition.

"It will be the biggest match of our lives and we're so excited to get that opportunity again," vice-skip Grant Hardie told BBC Sport.

Jock alert lol

Useless jocks.

lol

If Keely could have a stellar year in the Diamond League and perform in the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in September, she'd be in with a shout. I'd be having her and Matt Weston on side.

Probably better off laying weston than backing everyone else lol

Weston is an odd case for SPOTY - in terms of just this year he's a massive lay - yeh he won a gold, but in a sport that is minority in the extreme. Fanbase size?

But there's something of a lifetime achievement aspect to it - he's the most decorated winter olympic athlete for UK of all time.

What does that make odds around 7/1 - back or lay? I'm hedging to a small back at this price, as there's some margin for error, and might not be much strength if the footy guys mess it up. Keeley is a dark horse, but she has no Olympic win or outdoor world title to hit this year.

She does have this new version of a ultimate world championships though - not sure if that counts or not?

A nice 100 for Harry Brook in world cup

Probably not his year, but surely one to note
for future.

Kane is on fire for Bayern. So so good. Great chance of the Balon d'or

Ronnie o'sullivan makes a 153 break, not winning spoty with that
but sets up publicity going into world champs and, IF he won world
championship, he might earn a nomination...

Josh Kerr wins world indoor 3000m gold

He's owed a nom.

Why is he not even listed yet on exchange

Keely Hodgkinson made further history by becoming Britain's first women's 800m world champion - indoors or outdoors - crossing the line more than a second clear of her rivals in one minute 55.30 seconds.

That triumph wrapped up 28 minutes of success after golds for her training partner Georgia Hunter Bell and pole vaulter Molly Caudery on a sensational Sunday for the British team.

Rory wins masters again.

Justin Rose also matched quite short, in play final round.

6.4, what's that about.



Harry Kane in semi final of champions league and has
scored 50 goals this season for Bayern.

BEAU INTO THE QUARTERS! ⭐

Beau Greaves is through to the quarter-finals in Milton Keynes, impressing once again with a 6-4 victory over Czechia's Karel Sedlacek!

Beau Greaves is through to her first ever Players Championship final, as Beau and Arrow beats Gary Anderson 7-1, winning seven consecutive legs, and averaging over 105 in the process!


Beau Greaves becomes the first women EVER to win a Players Championship title, as she beats Michael Smith in an excellent last-leg decider with a stunning 142 checkout to win it!



Beating three former world champions, hitting a 170 checkout in the final and pinning a 142 in the deciding leg while her opponent was sat on D10. And all that while becoming the first woman to win the title

There are few better ways to win a title than how Beau Greaves just has



Quite an achievement, but not spoty worthy on its own.

Overseas spoty contender

Sabastian Sawe breaks two-hour barrier to make history in London Marathon

    Kenyan wins men’s race in 1hr 59min 30sec

Bayern crash out in semis... no ucl for kane

Saka, rice still in running, and join kane for world Cup.

Arsenal still shooting for Epl too.


Hearts on course for Scottish league, and scotland
have nice draw at World Cup to get beyond group stage
could be one to watch if England blow out.

Rory could win another major again today, unlikely but possible

Rai set to become first Englishman to win US PGA since 1919

Wanamaker trophy one of the lesser majors, but rai needs adding.

Lovely trophy BTW.

Aaron Rai.

Still wide open innit.  World Cup hero, keely, rory again if he won the open seem most likely to me. Russell looks doomed, antonelli just a bit quicker and a lot more aggressive. I wouldn't be surprised if a jock sneaks in