Formula One world champion Jenson Button is a leading contender along with heptathlon world champion Jessica Ennis and Ashes-winning captain Andrew Strauss for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award after the shortlist was announced.

The trio are joined on the 10-strong shortlist by Manchester United forward Ryan Giggs who this year won a record 11th Premier League winners' medal, triple jump world champion Phillips Idowu, diver Tom Daley who became world 10 metre platform champion this summer in Rome aged 15 and Mark Cavendish, winner of six stages of this year's Tour de France.

David Haye was crowned WBA world heavyweight champion with his defeat of 7ft 2ins Nikolay Valuev, Andy Murray was ranked world number two after winning six tournaments and he also reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon while gymnast Beth Tweddle responded to the disappointment of falling in her specialist event, the bars, to claim gold on the floor at the World Championships in London.