[RhysJR]

On a similar note, BBC Wales' treatment of their own Sports Personality of the Year award has gone from its own awards night (complete with TV and radio coverage of at least some kind) to pretty much an afterthought.

The winner was announced via an embargoed press release this morning.

Notably, there was no shortlist, either - and a judging panel led by Dame Tanni Grey Thompson decided the winner.

www.bbc.co.uk 

Yes, I was taken aback a bit seeing that first thing this morning after zero build-up or fanfare. Even before the awards ceremony was really a thing (so around a decade or so ago), I remember the voting was quite prominent for a fortnight or so during the voting process. This year I've heard of nothing until this morning. According to Wikipedia, the award was awarded by a panel until the early 2000s, before having a public vote for 20 or so years until the pandemic. Obviously merits in both formats, but a public vote gives you more publicity.

The awards ceremony was in tandem with Sport Wales (the Welsh sports governing body, not the former BBC Wales magazine show) looks like it was discontinued after the pandemic, most likely with that and budget cuts responsible. I can't see any news about the other awards (like Team, Coach, Young Sportsman of the Year) from last year, so it looks like everything else from Sport Wales' end was cancelled as well.

It looks like the Welsh Sports Review of the Year on BBC Wales was stopped after 2021 as well. I think that was the last remains of the old Sport Wales programme, which ceased broadcasting in 2016.
www.bbc.co.uk 

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I don't really get why they cut it down to 6. It does feel like a non-event though, perhaps following a similar trajectory to Question of Sport. I don't think having multiple presenters does it any favours.

Hopefully a successful 2024 Olympics will mean it feels more relevant next year.

Agree it does feel like a non-event in a way at the moment, and Question of Sport unfortunately doesn't feel like that much of a stretch to comapre it to. Four presenters does feel too many.

Though saying that, the format does seem to remain popular across Europe, with plenty of other versions airing and awarding in recent and future weeks (RTÉ for example on Saturday night just gone).

At least with six nominees, the BBC won't do a World Athletics and change the award after the voting to have six winners rather than one...
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