Salford will again host the Sports Personality of the Year Awards this December from MediaCityUK, with US Open winner Emma Raducanu the favourite to win the main award.

Salford hosted the event in 2020, but this time around there will be a studio audience in attendance to watch live, along with millions at home on BBC One.

Despite MediaCity UK hosting the event before, the fact that it comes in consecutive years is precedent of the work being done to make Salford a hub for British media.

This is due to the award ceremony being held in Birmingham, Aberdeen and Liverpool in the three years prior to 2020.

A statement from BBC Director of sport Barbara Slater reads, “The awards ceremony in Salford will have a lot to reflect on and it’s something the whole BBC Sport team are looking forward to delivering.”

Following the events of 2020 slowing the sporting world down, 2021 was jampacked with sporting action.

British sport enjoyed a successful year with Team GB bringing home plenty of gold during the Olympics and Paralympics as well as the England National Team finishing as runners up at Euro 2020.

The event will also tell the stories we have not necessarily already heard with awards like ‘Unsung Hero’ and the ‘Special Achievement Award’.

The 68th ceremony will take place on the 19th of December at the Dock10 studio.

Salford residents are impressed and excited by the news with local Josh Williams saying: “It shows the expansion of what MediaCity is becoming.”

He also added, “it’s fitting that Sports Personality will be at the home of BBC Sport.”

This highlights the reputation Salford is gaining, making it feel like the place to be in regards to Media organisations, not just in the North, but the entire UK.

Emma Raducanu is the clear favourite for the main award, following a sensational debut year in Women’s Grand Slams.

She would become just the fourth woman to win the award since the turn of the century.

The current odds for the winner of SPOTY 2021 can be found below:

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