BBC Sports Personality of the Year

By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw

2022 has been an eventful year politically, socially and financially and, in sporting terms, one outstanding feature has been the rise in women’s sport at the elite and grass roots levels.

This phenomenon has been reflected in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year with the top award going to Beth Mead the England and Arsenal football player. Mead was the top scorer in the Euro 22 tournament, in which England defeated Germany in the final.

The first women’s footballer to win this prestigious award, she remarked:

“This is for women’s sport and women’s sport heading in the right direction.”

And added:  

“Let’s keep pushing girls, let’s keep doing the right thing.”

Women also featured in other sporting awards:

• Winter Olympic Curling Champion, Eve Muirhead, came third in the Sports Personality of the Year.
• The England Women’s Coach, Sarina Wiegman, won the Coach of the Year Award.
• The England Women won the Team of the Year Award.
• The Gymnast, Jessica Gadirova, won the Young Sports Personality of the Year Award.

2023, amongst other women’s international sporting events, will see the FIFA Women’s Football World Cup taking place in Australia and New Zealand from 20 July to 20 August.

Also, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) has announced that it will increase the number of women’s tournaments to be played during the first quarter of 2023 to 114, with a record US3.3 million prize money on offer, as part of the ITF push for gender equality in the sport.

So, it is onwards and upwards for women’s sport!

Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.’