The 2023 BBC Sports Personality of the Year winner will be announced during a live show on Tuesday at MediaCityUK in Salford.

The six nominees have been revealed, with Mary Earps the favourite to succeed fellow England footballer Beth Mead.

Here, the PA news agency takes a closer look at those in the running.

The 30-year-old Manchester United and England goalkeeper helped the Lionesses reach the World Cup final in Australia in August. Spain ran out 1-0 winners to prevent England adding to their European crown, but Earps, who saved a penalty in the final and kept three clean sheets during the tournament, was awarded the Golden Glove.

The second-highest England Test wicket-taker with 604 scalps, 37-year-old Broad announced his retirement on July 29 on the penultimate day of the fifth and final Ashes Test against Australia at the Oval. He signed off in dramatic fashion, hitting a six off his final ball faced and taking a wicket with his final delivery to secure a win that resulted in the series being drawn, with Australia retaining the Ashes.

The three-time British flat racing champion jockey triumphed in two British classics this year, winning the 2000 Guineas on Chaldean and the Oaks on Soul Sister. Milan-born Dettori, 52, announced in December 2022 that he would retire after 2023 but in October he revealed plans to move to California and continue to race in the United States and on the international circuit.

The Liverpool-born heptathlete came back from injury to win her second world title in Budapest this year. She claimed her first world crown in Doha in 2019. Her build-up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics was undermined by an Achilles injury and it flared up during the 200 metres, forcing her to pull out. The 30-year-old bounced back with a Commonwealth Games title in Birmingham last year and then conquered the world again in Hungary.

The Northern Irishman was Europe’s top-scorer, winning four out of five matches, as the team bounced back from their heaviest defeat to the United States in the 2021 to triumph in this year’s Ryder Cup – the fifth time he has won the event. Four-time major champion McIlroy, 34, also registered 13 top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour in 2023, won the Scottish Open, retained the Race to Dubai and spent time in the world number one spot.

World number one wheelchair tennis player Hewett this year was singles champion at both the Australian Open and US Open and runner-up in the French Open and Wimbledon tournaments, while in doubles, he claimed three out of the grand slam titles alongside Gordon Reid. The 26-year-old also helped Great Britain win the World Team Cup.

Mary Earps is the bookmakers’ odds-on favourite to be voted the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year for 2023 on Tuesday night.

Earps was a key part of the England football team which reached the Women’s World Cup final in the summer, having been crowned champions of Europe in 2022.

She has been shortlisted for the prestigious BBC prize alongside former cricketer Stuart Broad, jockey Frankie Dettori, athlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson, tennis player Alfie Hewett and golfer Rory McIlroy.

Earps saved a penalty from Spain’s Jenni Hermoso in the World Cup final, but the Lionesses slipped to a 1-0 defeat in Sydney. The 30-year-old was awarded the FIFA Golden Glove as the tournament’s best goalkeeper.

In September she was also voted England’s women’s player of the year and helped her club Manchester United finish second in the Women’s Super League last season with 14 clean sheets.

Her future at United is uncertain, however, with Earps’ contract with the club due to expire next summer.

Earps also hit the headlines early on at the World Cup when she spoke about the hurt she felt that sportswear manufacturer Nike had not made her England goalkeeper’s replica jersey available to purchase before the tournament.

After mounting pressure, the sports brand released her green long-sleeved Lionesses shirt and it sold out in five minutes. Earps told Sky News at the weekend she thought the company had learned its lesson.

“On this topic, they know that they got this wrong and that’s why they’ve done this correction – a big company like Nike, they wouldn’t do that if they didn’t know it wasn’t right and that there was an injustice there,” Earps said.

“They did the right thing and I can’t thank the public enough for their support and we wouldn’t be in this position without it.

“I was really ‘um-ing and ah-ing’ whether to use my voice and to speak on it or not. I thought I was just speaking for a niche of goalkeepers, but it turned out to be support from much wider group of people.

“I think from that, collectively, we’ve really changed the world, so thank you to everyone.”

Broad announced he was retiring from cricket during the fifth Ashes Test in the summer and bowed out in spectacular fashion. The 37-year-old hit a six off his final ball and took the final wicket as England won the match to level the series, though Australia retained the urn.

Dettori, 52, secured a series of big wins in his farewell year in UK racing, including the 2000 Guineas on Chaldean and the Oaks on Soul Sister. He is set to continue riding in the United States next year.

Johnson-Thompson claimed the world heptathlon title for the second time in Budapest in the summer after a calf injury wrecked her hopes of Olympic glory in Tokyo in 2021.

Hewett won seven wheelchair tennis singles tournaments in 2023, including the Australian and US Open titles. He also secured the doubles titles at the Australian and French Opens plus Wimbledon alongside partner Gordon Reid.

McIlroy was a key part of Europe’s victorious Ryder Cup-winning team in October and finished in the top 10 at three of the year’s four majors.

Former Liverpool player and manager Kenny Dalglish will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the ceremony in Salford on Tuesday night.

Dave Chisnall sent Cameron Menzies back to the day job after knocking him out of the World Championship on day two at Alexandra Palace.

Menzies had booked his place in the second round on Friday night after working a half-day as a plumber where he had to fix a burst pipe and repair a kitchen sink.

He was back in action on Saturday afternoon, having at least had the morning off, but could not repeat the trick and 11th seed Chisnall came from a set down to win 3-1 and give himself a happy Christmas.

Menzies, who is hoping to make the transition to become a full-time darts player, will be back at the Palace on Monday to support his girlfriend Fallon Sherrock, but his fun at this year’s tournament is over.

Lee Evans reckons it would not be a major shock if he beats Luke Humphries in the second round.

The 35-year-old marked his Ally Pally debut with a 3-0 win over Sandro Eric Sosing to set up a date with his former playing partner Humphries, who is the favourite to win the tournament.

“What a draw. Good job I know him very well,” he said. “I know his game very well, he knows me, we played pairs years ago, played in the same teams, I will need to play my best game without a doubt,” Evans said.

“It is a free shot. If he goes to that A place, I think I have got the A place to match but he is a level above everyone at the moment.

“I reckon I can push him close if I can play my best. If I beat Luke Humphries I think there will be bigger shocks. For me I don’t think it would be a shock, everyone else might, but I wouldn’t.”

Connor Scutt also enjoyed an impressive first outing at the home of darts as he beat Krzysztof Kciuk 3-0.

The Pole was playing his first World Championship match since 2010 and his first visit to the oche was a 180, but Scutt took control winning all three sets to arrange a second-round meeting with Gerwyn Price.

Darren Penhall beat American Jules van Dongen 3-1 in the other first-round match of the afternoon session.

England will be hoping that 2024 is finally the year men’s football comes home as they go for European Championship glory.

Boss Gareth Southgate probably has one final shot at becoming the first manager since Sir Alf Ramsay to win a major trophy after several near misses over the last few years.

The scars are still there from the last Euros, where England lost the final to Italy on penalties, but the team has grown since then and head to Germany among the favourites to win.

It could be a coming-of-age tournament for Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden, while Harry Kane will want a winner’s medal to go along with all of the personal accolades he has won.

Scotland are also competing in their second successive Euros, while Wales must attempt to qualify in the early part of the year.

The Olympics are back on European soil for the first time since 2012 when they head to Paris in August and hopes are high for another strong showing for Team GB.

Great Britain has been one of the leading countries in the last three Olympics and is again tipped to do well, with several realistic medal hopes in the French capital.

Skateboarder Sky Brown, runner Keely Hodgkinson, Bethany Shriever in the BMX, Jessica Gadirova and Bryony Page in gymnastics and Bradly Sinden in the taekwondo are all hopeful of topping the podium, with the likes of Jake Wightman, Dina Asher-Smith and Laura Muir also hoping it is their time.

The Paralympics follow a few weeks later and Team GB are again expected to bring home a significant medal haul.

The Olympics could also be the end point for Rafael Nadal’s tennis career.

The Spanish great has hinted that he would call time on his magnificent career in 2024 and there seems no better place than Roland Garros, where he has won an incredible 14 titles.

While Nadal’s time may be coming to an end, British star Emma Raducanu will hope that 2024 is the year her career comes back to life.

Injury has plagued Raducanu since her US Open triumph in 2021 but she is ready to return to tour in a make-or-break year to see how her career will pan out.

She will have especially high hopes on a good run at Wimbledon, which is where she burst on to the scene three years ago.

In boxing, there is a blockbusting bout between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia in February.

Fury is hoping to unify the heavyweight division in a money-spinning fight with the Ukrainian. If he wins, then there will be more clamour for a bout with Anthony Joshua.

Europe will be aiming to keep hold of the Solheim Cup for a fourth successive time when they take on the United States in Virginia in September.

Manchester City will remember 2023 as the year they finally conquered Europe and all before them but there was heartbreak on the world stage for two England teams.

A fifth Premier League title in six years and a derby victory in the FA Cup final cemented Pep Guardiola’s side’s dominance of domestic football and, led by the unstoppable Erling Haaland, a first Champions League crown followed.

There could be no argument that City deserved it, with European giants Bayern Munich and Real Madrid comprehensively beaten before Rodri scored the only goal of a final victory over Inter Milan in Istanbul.

City have found backing up their treble a little tricky so far, with the Premier League shaping up to be a more even playing field, but Guardiola’s men have no more questions left to answer.

England’s women were attempting to follow their brilliant European Championship triumph by winning the World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand.

Sarina Wiegman’s team overcame Lauren James’ red card to edge past Nigeria on penalties before seeing off Colombia and hosts Australia but, despite the heroics of Mary Earps in goal, Spain proved too strong, with Olga Carmona scoring the only goal in the final.

The biggest moment in Spanish women’s football history was soured, though, by the behaviour of then federation president Luis Rubiales, who eventually resigned after he was widely criticised for kissing midfielder Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the presentation ceremony.

England did not appear to be among the favourites heading into the Rugby World Cup but came agonisingly close to a second successive final appearance, suffering a last-gasp semi-final loss against South Africa.

The Springboks then held off New Zealand for a historic successful title defence, with Wales and Six Nations Grand Slam winners Ireland both seeing their hopes end in the last eight.

England’s defence of their Cricket World Cup crown, meanwhile, could scarcely have gone any worse, with only three wins from nine games in India.

The hosts were virtually flawless until the final but the hopes of a nation were dashed by a brilliant performance from Australia.

Australia also retained the Ashes after a close series, with England facing questions over their gung-ho style of play but fighting back to draw 2-2 after losing the first two matches.

Politics remained an ever-present bedfellow, with Saudi Arabia continuing their push into the sporting landscape.

LIV Golf impacted the Ryder Cup, with several familiar faces missing, but Luke Donald’s Europe stole the show over three brilliant days in Rome, defeating the US 16.5-11.5 to reclaim the trophy.

The Solheim Cup also provided plenty of drama, with Europe recovering from 4-0 down to clinch a 14-14 draw and keep hold of the trophy.

The issue of whether to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete amid the ongoing war in Ukraine saw Wimbledon and the Lawn Tennis Association reverse their ban from 2022, which had resulted in strong sanctions from the ATP and WTA.

With ranking points restored, 20-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz stunned Novak Djokovic over five sets in one of the great Wimbledon finals.

It was the only real blip in another astonishing season from Djokovic, though, who won the other three grand slam titles to move clear as the most successful male player in history.

Coco Gauff won her first slam title at the US Open, joining Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Marketa Vondrousova in lifting the sport’s most prestigious trophies on the women’s side.

Formula One was again the Max Verstappen show, the Dutchman winning a record 19 of the 22 grands prix.

With thoughts turning to next summer’s Olympic Games, there were encouraging signs for Britain at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, where Katarina Johnson-Thompson in the heptathlon and 1500 metres runner Josh Kerr took gold.

It will also be remembered as a good year for Celtic, who won the league and cup double in Scotland, Chelsea Women, who achieved the same feat in England, Gallagher Premiership champions Saracens, Super League winners Wigan, and Leigh, who claimed a brilliant Challenge Cup victory.

Erling Haaland, Max Verstappen and Novak Djokovic were among the male stars to produce historic statistics in a memorable year of sport.

Marketa Vondrousova also made history as the first unseeded winner of the Wimbledon women’s single title, while Europe retained the Solheim Cup with an unprecedented draw against the United States.

Here, the PA news agency looks back at the standout numbers from 2023.

36 – Erling Haaland’s Premier League-record goal tally as he won last season’s Golden Boot.

280 and 62 – Harry Kane set new goalscoring records for both Tottenham and England, passing Jimmy Greaves’ 266 for Spurs in February and Wayne Rooney’s 53 for his country the following month. He also joined Rooney and Alan Shearer as only the third player with 200 Premier League goals, reaching 213 before leaving for Bayern Munich in the summer.

£106.8million – the British record transfer fee paid by Chelsea for Enzo Fernandez in January as part of Todd Boehly’s £1billion spending spree. Team-mate Moises Caicedo’s move from Brighton could break the record with add-ons potentially taking his price to £115m.

77,390 – A crowd of 77,390 watched Chelsea beat Manchester United 1-0 in the Women’s FA Cup final, breaking the world record for a women’s domestic club fixture previously set when Atletico Madrid hosted Barcelona in 2019.

10 – points deducted from Everton for breaching Premier League financial regulations.

3 – Number of clean sheets kept by Mary Earps, who was awarded the Golden Glove after helping England reach the Women’s World Cup final, where she also saved a penalty in the 1-0 defeat to Spain.

19 – Max Verstappen won 19 of the 22 races as he took his third successive Formula One world title.

575 – Verstappen’s record points tally was more than double Sergio Perez’s second-placed 285.

24 – Novak Djokovic’s tally of grand slam titles after winning the Australian, French and US Opens this year – the most by a male player and tying Margaret Court’s all-time record.

1 – Marketa Vondrousova beat sixth seed Ons Jabeur 6-4 6-4 to become the first unseeded player to win the Wimbledon women’s singles title.

81 – Frankie Dettori retired from racing in Britain with an 81st Ascot winner aboard King of Steel in the Qipco Champion Stakes. That total includes nine Gold Cups as well as his unforgettable seven-timer in 1996 when he rode every winner on the card.

600 – Stuart Broad became only the fifth man to take 600 Test wickets, finishing his career with 604 as he retired after the Ashes.

26,643 – career first-class runs for former England captain Sir Alastair Cook, who retired in October.

89 – Australia won the only Test in the Women’s Ashes by 89 runs and went on to retain the urn after the series ended 8-8.

229 – England’s losing margin against South Africa during their dreadful Cricket World Cup defence was their highest by runs in a one-day international.

4 – South Africa won a record fourth Rugby World Cup, moving clear of final opponents New Zealand with their 12-11 win in Saint-Denis.

58,498 – The record crowd at Twickenham as England completed the Grand Slam in the Women’s Six Nations with a 38-33 victory over France.

16.5-11.5 – the score as Europe won the Ryder Cup in Rome.

14-14 – Europe retained the Solheim Cup after the first draw in the history of the contest in Spain.

37 – Simone Biles’ record tally of Olympic and World Championship medals after winning four golds and a silver in Antwerp in October. Her total includes four Olympic and 23 world golds.

47 – Ronnie O’Sullivan became snooker’s oldest UK champion aged 47, 30 years after his win aged 17 which still makes him the youngest. It was his eighth win in the event and his 22nd triple crown title.

20 – Katarina Johnson-Thompson won her second world heptathlon title by just 20 points in Budapest.

61-45 – The score as England lost to Australia in the Netball World Cup final in Cape Town.

It has been another eventful year of sporting action.

Manchester City completed the treble, Europe regained the Ryder Cup and Max Verstappen was once again a dominant winner of the Formula One world championship.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the last 12 months through a selection of sporting pictures.

Manchester City achieved their holy grail of winning the Champions League in 2023 but did it against the backdrop of being hit with an unprecedented number of charges for alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules.

It was that kind of year in many ways. Spain made history by winning the Women’s World Cup, but immediately found themselves embroiled in a sexism scandal, while the unexpected success of England’s rugby team came with major setbacks for the cricketers.

Here the PA news agency looks at 10 things we learned in 2023.

Manchester City get the one they wanted

For all the Premier League titles won and records set, Pep Guardiola had openly acknowledged he needed to bring the Champions League trophy to Manchester City for his time at the Etihad Stadium to be considered a success.

And in June they did just that as Rodri’s second-half goal was enough to secure a 1-0 win over Inter Milan in Istanbul and see City emulate neighbours United by securing a treble, adding the Champions League to the Premier League and FA Cup trophies they had already lifted.

It was the trophy City had wanted more than any other during the more than decade-long overhaul under Sheikh Mansour’s ownership, and it was finally theirs.

Governance battles

City’s success came only a few months after they were hit with a stunning 115 charges by the Premier League for alleged breaches of financial regulations – a case that is expected to rumble on long into next year and beyond.

But when the Premier League imposed a 10-point penalty on Everton for a much lesser offence, many in football were shocked and there are now serious questions about how the Premier League handles not only City’s case but also possible charges against Chelsea, who self-reported their own breaches.

At a time when the Premier League is trying to show it does not need an independent regulator, the ramifications of how these cases play out could be huge.

LIV continues to rock golf

Jon Rahm’s December announcement that he was joining the LIV circuit showed that golf is still yet to figure out how to deal with the Saudi-backed start-up.

The joint announcement in June which saw the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV announce a framework for a merger to form a unified commercial entity was far from the end of the dispute and – as some players have said – might even make it easier for players to feel they can jump ship.

Rahm has been a critic of LIV in the past, but, following his Masters triumph and Europe’s Ryder Cup success, made the timing right for him. Where it leaves the rest of golf is unclear as we await further progress on talks between the rival tours.

World Cup woes leave questions for the ECB

England’s defence of their Cricket World Cup title could barely have gone much worse as they won only three of nine games in India, prompting yet more soul-searching.

The ECB’s decision to sideline its domestic 50-over competition in favour of The Hundred does not look good in this context, although how much impact it might actually have is unclear.

The bigger focus is perhaps on the ever-scrutinised schedule. England played half as many ODIs in the build-up to this World Cup than they did before winning in 2019, and most were against weak opposition.

Bitter disappointment for England Women

After the highs of their European Championship triumph, England went to the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand among the favourites but it was not to be.

Sarina Wiegman’s team overcame Lauren James’ red card to edge past Nigeria on penalties before seeing off Colombia and hosts Australia but, despite the heroics of Mary Earps in goal, Spain proved too strong in the final, with Olga Carmona scoring the only goal.

This month a 6-0 rout of Scotland was not enough for England to top their Nations League group as the Netherlands scored late to beat Belgium 4-0, denying Team GB a place at next summer’s Olympics in Paris.

A World Cup final overshadowed

Spain made history by beating England in the final in Sydney, lifting the World Cup trophy for the first time.

But their big moment became mired in controversy after Luis Rubiales, then president of the Spanish federation, kissed Jennifer Hermoso on the lips during the celebrations despite her obvious discomfort, and was also seen making obscene gestures.

Rubiales then refused to resign for several weeks as the controversy enveloped Spanish football, showing just how much more work lies ahead in changing attitudes.

Red Bull’s dominance is unprecedented

Red Bull completed the most dominant season ever seen in the history of Formula One in 2023 as Max Verstappen won 19 of the 22 races to leave everyone else in a separate competition.

While there is hope that a fresh season will offer fresh opportunities to their rivals, the sheer scale of their dominance brings its own issues.

With titles effectively secured long ago, Red Bull have already been able to work on the development of next year’s car – leaving everyone else to play catch up once more.

Bright spots for Borthwick

England went to the Rugby World Cup amid relatively low expectations on the back of home defeats to Scotland, France and Fiji during the course of 2023.

It was therefore a welcome surprise to see them not only get out of their group but see off Fiji in the quarter-final before pushing eventual champions South Africa all the way as they lost the semi-final 16-15.

While some experienced players will be retiring, it was a performance that offered hope for the future as exciting youngsters such as Henry Arundell emerged.

Sport continues to grapple with war

The International Olympic Committee has announced that Russian and Belarusian athletes who qualify for Paris 2024 will be allowed to compete as individuals next summer.

The IOC said the decision, quickly condemned by Ukraine following Russia’s invasion of the country, was about “respecting human rights”.

However, although the IOC has given the green light, many individual sporting governing bodies – not least World Athletics – have not changed their positions, meaning athletes in those events will remain ineligible.

The glacial pace of change at Old Trafford

It is more than a year since the Glazer family announced they would consider a sale or minority investment at Manchester United, offering fans hope that years of neglect could soon be coming to an end.

The deal for Sir Jim Ratcliffe to take a 25 per cent stake – one that would come with considerable control – is not the clean break most wanted, but it does at least offer hope of change, albeit one that is taking longer than expected with mooted timetables for completion having come and gone.

In the meantime, the team continues to lurch from mini-crisis to mini-crisis on the pitch, with Erik ten Hag’s side having been unable to build on the encouragement of last season. Will 2024 be the year real change finally comes to Old Trafford?

Raymond van Barneveld is dreaming of winning another World Championship crown 25 years after his historic first.

He became the first Dutchman to win the British Darts Organisation (BDO) title at the Lakeside in 1998 and went on to win three more before switching to the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), where he won another in 2007.

He was at the top of the game for several years before announcing a short-lived retirement in 2019.

The 56-year-old is back on the scene and preparing for another tilt at world glory over the next few weeks, with the World Championship getting under way at Alexandra Palace on Friday.

Reflecting on his title in 1998, Van Barneveld, who has released some commemorative darts to mark the anniversary, told the PA news agency: “It really went fast. Madness, 25 years ago, it goes quickly.

“After that my whole life changed, I went from being a postman to being a celebrity in Holland, being on every talk show, I flew in an F16, and tulip roses were named after me, it was insane.

“In all honesty, 1998 was more special because what it did to me as a person and what it did for darts in Holland. Because of that result I could quit my job as a postman and become a full-time player.”

Following years of success in the BDO, Van Barneveld followed the money to the PDC and struck up one of sport’s greatest rivalries when he regularly competed against Phil Taylor.

A post shared by TOTO Dart Kings ? (@totodartkings)

And ‘Barney’ enjoyed some early success, winning the 2007 crown against his great competitor.

“I won so many things in the BDO, I didn’t want to be 85 years old and looking back on my career and be scared to play the best darts player ever on earth,” he said of his decision to switch to the PDC.

“I needed to live with myself and look back on my career and say I had the balls to play him, which I did. I did and you saw what happened, I beat him and it was a dream come true.”

If Van Barneveld were to win the title this year, it would be one of the biggest sporting shocks of recent times, with the likes of Michael van Gerwen, Michael Smith, Gerwyn Price and Luke Humphries playing at a different standard.

But the Dutchman believes he still has it in him.

“This is what it is all about. In all fairness, the rest of the year is nothing in comparison,” he said. “This is the world title. It means you are the man.

“I believe I can still win, absolutely. But you have to be realistic, there are better players out there at the moment. I am older, I am not a young pup who wants to win everything.

“The worlds is special for me, I believe it. All the other players know what they can do and if they draw Raymond van Barneveld then I am pretty sure they are not happy. They know if I show up I can go all the way.

“The World Championship is something else. You can win other titles, but this is so special. You are the world champion, everyone else looks up to you.”

:: Special Edition Barney25 darts to commemorate the 25-year anniversary of RVB’s first World Championship are available to buy now at www.target-darts.co.uk

The 2023 BBC Sports Personality of the Year winner will be announced during a live show on Tuesday, December 19 at MediaCityUK in Salford.

The six nominees have been revealed, with Mary Earps the favourite to succeed fellow England footballer Beth Mead.

Here, the PA news agency takes a closer look at those in the running.

The 30-year-old Manchester United and England goalkeeper helped the Lionesses reach the World Cup final in Australia in August. Spain ran out 1-0 winners to prevent England adding to their European crown, but Earps, who saved a penalty in the final and kept three clean sheets during the tournament, was awarded the Golden Glove.

The second-highest England Test wicket-taker with 604 scalps, 37-year-old Broad announced his retirement on July 29 on the penultimate day of the fifth and final Ashes Test against Australia at the Oval. He signed off in dramatic fashion, hitting a six off his final ball faced and taking a wicket with his final delivery to secure a win that resulted in the series being drawn, with Australia retaining the Ashes.

The three-time British flat racing champion jockey triumphed in two British classics this year, winning the 2000 Guineas on Chaldean and the Oaks on Soul Sister. Milan-born Dettori, 52, announced in December 2022 that he would retire after 2023 but in October he revealed plans to move to California and continue to race in the United States and on the international circuit.

The Liverpool-born heptathlete came back from injury to win her second world title in Budapest this year. She claimed her first world crown in Doha in 2019. Her build-up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics was undermined by an Achilles injury and it flared up during the 200 metres, forcing her to pull out. The 30-year-old bounced back with a Commonwealth Games title in Birmingham last year and then conquered the world again in Hungary.

The Northern Irishman was Europe’s top-scorer, winning four out of five matches, as the team bounced back from their heaviest defeat to the United States in the 2021 to triumph in this year’s Ryder Cup – the fifth time he has won the event. Four-time major champion McIlroy, 34, also registered 13 top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour in 2023, won the Scottish Open, retained the Race to Dubai and spent time in the world number one spot.

World number one wheelchair tennis player Hewett this year was singles champion at both the Australian Open and US Open and runner-up in the French Open and Wimbledon tournaments, while in doubles, he claimed three out of the grand slam titles alongside Gordon Reid. The 26-year-old also helped Great Britain win the World Team Cup.

Sport England has raised concerns after a survey revealed fewer than half of the country’s children are taking part in the recommended amount of physical activity.

The latest Active Lives Children and Young People report indicates 47 per cent of young people are taking part for an average of 60 minutes a day, with data from the 2022/23 academic year remaining stable from the previous 12 months. A further 22.8 per cent are rated as ‘fairly active’ while 30.2 per cent are categorised as ‘less active’ with less than 30 minutes a day on average.

Figures indicate a maintained recovery in participation following the pandemic, with the current statistics in line with pre-Covid findings from 2018/19, but also shine a light on areas that require improvement.

Most strikingly, the number of children classed as taking no physical activity at all in the previous seven days has increased by 127,000 since the survey was first taken in 2017/18, a rise of 1.4 per cent.

There remains broad inequality in the uptake of regular physical activity, with 40 per cent of black and Asian children in the recommended range and 44 per cent from less affluent families. Boys (51 per cent) are also more likely than girls (44 per cent) to be classed as active.

On the positive side, the success of England’s Lionesses at Euro 2022 saw 68,000 more young girls playing football – part of a four per cent rise over the five-year period.

Tim Hollingsworth, chief executive of Sport England, said: “While today’s figures reveal some positives and is further evidence of our sector’s ability to recover from the pandemic, they also underline how much more work there is to do to get our children and young people active.

“The fact that fewer than half are meeting the Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines demonstrates the scale of challenge facing our country. Too many children and young people are missing out on the benefits of living an active life – to their physical health but also mental well-being and positive social connection with friends and their community.”

Sports Minister Stuart Andrew appeared at an event with former England rugby union star Ugo Monye on Thursday to coincide with the report, and Hollingsworth reiterated the importance of political backing.

“This underlines the need for more action – and greater concerted focus across Government departments, as well as across the sport and physical activity sector,” he added.

“We welcome the launch of the new Physical Activity Taskforce, which meets next week, as a chance for this action to be debated.”

Kevin Sinfield was welcomed into Brighton with sunshine and blue skies for the penultimate stage of his mammoth ultramarathon challenge in aid of motor neurone disease, which has so far raised almost half a million pounds.

Inspired by former Leeds team-mate Rob Burrow, the 43-year-old is taking on the gruelling schedule every day for seven days in seven cities around Britain and Ireland.

Having been in Dublin on Tuesday, Sinfield returned to the English south coast to set off on the latest leg of the ‘7 in 7 in 7’ challenge, which will conclude with him running up The Mall in London on Thursday.

Sinfield, the current England rugby union defence coach, had battled the elements so far but was at least given a break from the bad weather on Wednesday morning as he departed from the American Express Stadium.

Wednesday’s leg, which also took in the seafront, pier and marina, is a tribute to Brighton College chemistry teacher Pete Bellenger, who died from MND last year.

The 27-mile run adds an extra mile at the end to encourage others to help their friends through tough times.

“It has absolutely chucked it down and been freezing and windy, then we come to Brighton and get the sunshine and blue skies. We are really happy to be here and will give it our best shot,” Sinfield said before setting off.

“We know what we are doing here. We are representing the beautiful community, trying to raise some awareness and funds to try and fund a cure, but we are also trying to change how people feel about the MND community and how people feel about each other.

“It is not about running marathons, I know our team are doing it today, it is about trying to find a little bit where you can help somebody.

“If you can do that in the run up to Christmas, then we’ve done our job.”

After completing the marathon distance, Sinfield met with supporters before then heading off again from Brighton Beach front for the extra mile.

“Well, good afternoon Brighton. It is supposed to be the sixth of December and it is like the sixth of July – who has brought this for us today?,” he said in a video posted on Leeds Rhinos’ social media.

“We have been in wind, we have been in rain, snow and been in hail stones – we come here and you give us this, so thank you very much.

“The team have really enjoyed being here. We got in at midnight and everyone has been so welcoming and fantastic with us.

“We have loved running around the city. It has been brilliant, we have had a great time.”

Sinfield added: “What we have done the last few years as a team has been about raising awareness and funds for this beautiful community.

“But what I would say to you all is you do not have to run marathons, just do your little bit, just help in some way. There is always someone a lot worse off than you who needs our help, so let’s keep fighting together.”

Following the end of day six as the team ran into Brighton College, with students and staff lining the route to applaud, the total raised so far stood at just over £488,000, which is 62 per cent of the £777,777 target.

Thursday’s final leg is scheduled to start from noon at Twickenham, home of England’s rugby union side.

The course will head through Richmond Park for the extra mile before finishing in central London past Westminster and Trafalgar Square then onto the Mall at around 4pm.

:: To donate to Kevin Sinfield’s 7 in 7 in 7 quest, see https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/kevin-sinfield

Ronnie O’Sullivan repelled the determined challenge of Ding Junhui to become the oldest winner of the UK Snooker Championship in York, 30 years after he claimed his first title at the tournament at the age of 17.

O’Sullivan, who turns 48 on Tuesday, triumphed 10-7 after a heavyweight battle with his Chinese opponent, sealing a record-extending eighth UK crown with an exhibition-style finish of 129 amid raucous scenes at the Barbican.

Hauled back from 4-1 and 7-5 leads by Ding, who like O’Sullivan won his first UK title as a teenager in 2005, the world number one dug deep when it mattered and consecutive breaks of 100 and 74 set him up for his final flourish.

It was an admirable effort from the Chinese player, who had clambered off his sick bed to sink defending champion Mark Allen on the opening day having seriously considered withdrawing from the tournament.

But ultimately O’Sullivan, who had seldom been required to find his best form during his journey through the tournament, had just enough to leave Ding contemplating a second consecutive final defeat.

Ding had clawed back to level at 4-4 at the end of an absorbing opening session, after a series of costly errors gifted O’Sullivan the early advantage.

Three times the 36-year-old blew early frame-winning opportunities to fall 3-0 then 4-1 behind before belatedly stirring to reel off three frames in a row including breaks of 114 and 70.

O’Sullivan wasted no time in re-establishing his lead in the first frame of the evening with a break of 84, but there was a hint of impatience in the next when he opted not to play on despite trailing by 51 and only requiring one snooker.

Ding appeared intent on pressing home his advantage but was punished for taking on some risky long shots in the next two frames, O’Sullivan edging ahead again with breaks of 40 and 87, then emerging from a scrappy spell in the next to reach the interval 7-5 in front.

A hard-earned 58 from Ding brought him back within one frame before a magnificent 104, his second century of the final, pulled him level again.

Anything Ding could do, O’Sullivan could do too, and the momentum swung back in the direction of the world champion in the next frame when he responded with a century of his own, a 100, his first of the final.

A brilliant pink from O’Sullivan set him up to move one frame from victory with a break of 74, and he completed his win in his own irresistible fashion with his second three-figure finish.

Livingston’s Scottish Premiership match with Ross County was postponed as freezing conditions hit the football calendar in Scotland.

The top-division clash was due to take place at 3pm on Saturday but was called off after an early pitch inspection, with the playing surface at Almondvale Stadium frozen.

The Scottish Premiership club posted on X, formerly Twitter: “Following the pitch inspection, today’s game with Ross County has fell to the weather and has been postponed.

“Details for the re-arranged game will be released in due course.”

The rest of the fixture list was also decimated with eight games across the Scottish Championship, League One and League Two all falling victim to the sub-zero temperatures and snow.

In England, all 11 FA Cup second-round ties survived, with Blackpool’s clash with Forest Green postponed on Friday for non-weather related reasons.

Two National League matches were frozen off, though, with Altrincham against Dorking and Southend’s clash with Wealdstone falling foul of the weather.

Saturday’s horse racing meeting at Newcastle was postponed on Friday, but races at Doncaster, Bangor, Newbury and Fairyhouse went ahead.

In Germany, Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga clash with Union Berlin was postponed due to heavy overnight snowfall.

Kevin Sinfield is over a quarter of the way to hitting his £777,777 target in aid of research into Motor Neurone Disease after completing day one of his latest ultra-marathon quest at York Minster on Friday afternoon.

The former Leeds Rhinos star and his team were cheered much of the way from Headingley Stadium in Leeds to their initial destination as they continue to raise awareness inspired by Sinfield’s friend and former team-mate Rob Burrow.

The fundraising tally had ticked over £200,000 within an hour of his departure in wet and cold conditions, and Sinfield thanked the supporters as he prepares for the second day of the challenge to Cardiff on Saturday.

Sinfield told the crowd: “We’re coming up to Christmas and it’s brilliant to be here with the lights on and feeling festive.

“If there’s someone you’ve not spoke to for months and you’ve had a daft fall out or whatever, please pick the phone up.

“Let’s look after each other, let’s make this a better place. Let’s look after the MND community and start looking after each other a bit better.”

Sinfield’s fourth fundraising challenge will see him look to complete seven ultra marathons in seven cities in seven days, as he follows the Welsh capital on Saturday with runs around Birmingham, Edinburgh, Dublin and Brighton, before finishing with a route that takes him up The Mall in London next week.

Since starting his ultra-marathon quest in 2020, the 43-year-old has raised over £8million to help fund research and help those with the disease, and he has vowed he will continue to undertake his marathon quest until a cure can be found.

His quest drew praise from snooker great Ronnie O’Sullivan, who was competing in the UK Championship less than a mile from the finish line in York.

Despite admitting to have “never heard” of Sinfield or his previous quests, O’Sullivan said: “I admire what he’s trying to do, for sure. There’s some serious effort going into that, good luck to him.”

:: To donate to Kevin Sinfield’s 7 in 7 quest, see https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/kevin-sinfield