Coe baffled by absence of female award contenders

Sebastian Coe was among several leading figures in British sport left stunned by the fact not a single woman was included in the shortlist for the prestigious BBC sports personality of the year award.

The 10-strong list, picked by 27 sports editors from UK national newspapers and magazines, in-cluding ‘lads mags’ Zoo and Nuts is an exclusively all-male affair.

And this in a year where Britain has produced several female world champions in swimmers Keri-Anne Payne and Rebecca Adlington as well as taekwondo’s Sarah Stevenson.

Coe, a former double Olympic 1,500 metres champion and winner of the 57-year-old BBC award, open to all British sportsmen and women, in 1979, said: “I find it slightly surprising that there is not a woman on that shortlist.

“We have had Rebecca Adlington winning a title in the world swimming championships, we have had other women world champions this year too.

“This has also been a year where two women have won silver medals at the athletics world championships, Hannah England and Jessica Ennis, and it is one of the toughest championships in which to win a medal so I am surprised,” added Coe, the London 2012 Olympic Games supremo.

Adlington, via social networking site Twitter, said: “There’s been some great sportswomen like Keri-Anne Payne, it’s sad they are not recognised. Hopefully next year can be all women nominations after London 2012.”

Stevenson, whose world title was all the more creditable given both her parents died from illness this year, said: “Thanks all for your comments about not being nominated. It’s a shame, but just how it is! I’ll keep fighting for my parents, not for £SPOTY”.

Among those nominated are British Open golf champion Darren Clarke, leading cyclist Mark Cavendish, world 5,000 metres gold medallist Mo Farah, tennis player Andy Murray and boxer Amir Khan.

In total, 13 women have won the award, now determined by a public vote, with three-day eventer Zara Phillips, granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth, the most recent in 2006 – 35 years after her mother, Princess Anne, won for her success in the same sport.