The BBC World Sport Star of the Year (formerly known as the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year) is an award presented at the annual BBC Sports Personality of the Year award ceremony. The award is presented to a non-British sportsperson considered to have made the most substantial contribution to a sport in that year.
History
The Overseas Personality award was first presented in 1960, six years after the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award was introduced. The first recipient of the award was Australian middle distance runner Herb Elliott. Since then, the award has been presented to 53 sportspersons. Swiss tennis player Roger Federer has won the award four times. American boxer Muhammad Ali and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt have both won the award three times. The award has been shared on three occasions—by Ron Clarke and Gary Player in 1965, Eusébio and Garfield Sobers in 1966, and Evander Holyfield and Michael Johnson in 1996. The husband-and-wife skating duo of Oleg Protopopov and Ludmila Belousova are the only pair to have won the award, doing so in 1968. Fourteen sporting disciplines have been represented; tennis has the highest representation, with fifteen recipients.
Only one winner has ever been stripped of the award – US cyclist Lance Armstrong, whose 2003 award was rescinded following the UCI's 2012 decision to strip him of his titles and ban him for life from the sport.
In 2018, the award was renamed BBC World Sport Star of the Year. Along with the change of name, votes could be cast from outside of the UK for the first time. In 2015 the public voted for this award.
Winners
By year
thumb|upright|[[Roger Federer received the award a record four times]]
thumb|upright|[[Herb Elliott, the first recipient]]
thumb|upright|[[Pelé received the award in 1970 after winning a record third FIFA World Cup]]
thumb|upright|[[Greg Norman received the award two times]]
thumb|upright|[[Oleg Protopopov and Ludmila Belousova, joint recipients of the award in 1968, are also husband and wife.]]
thumb|upright|[[Evander Holyfield, who shared the award with Michael Johnson in 1996]]
thumb|upright|Mixed martial artist [[Khabib Nurmagomedov won the award in 2020]]
thumb|upright|[[Armand Duplantis is the latest winner of this award (2025).]]
{| class="sortable plainrowheaders wikitable" style="width:50%;"
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" colspan=5 |BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year winners
|-
!scope=col|Year
!scope=col|Nationality
!scope=col|Winner
!scope=col|Sport
!scope=col class="unsortable"|Note
|-
|align=center|1960
|
!scope=row|
| Athletics ||align=center|
|-
|align=center|1961
|
!scope=row|
| Athletics ||align=center|
|-
|
!scope=row| <sup></sup>
| Golf || style="text-align:center;"|
|-
|align=center|1970
|
!scope=row| Pelé
| Football || align=center|
|-
|align=center|1972
|
!scope=row|
| Gymnastics || align=center|
|-
|align=center|1973
|
!scope=row| (1/3)
| Boxing ||align=center|
|-
|align=center|1976
|
!scope=row|
| Gymnastics ||align=center|
|-
|align=center|1977
|
!scope=row|
| Formula One || align=center|
|-
|align=center|1978
|
!scope=row| (3/3)
| Boxing ||align=center|
|-
|align=center|1980
|
!scope=row|
| Golf || align=center|
|-
|align=center|1981
|
!scope=row|
| Tennis || style="text-align:center;"|
|-
|align=center|1982
|
!scope=row|
| Tennis || style="text-align:center;"|
|-
|align=center|1983
|
!scope=row|
| Athletics || align=center|
|-
|align=center|1984
|
!scope=row|
| Golf || align=center|
|-
|align=center|1985
|
!scope=row|
| Tennis || style="text-align:center;"|
|-
|align=center|1987
|
!scope=row|
| Tennis || align=center|
|-
|align=center|1988
|
!scope=row|
| Tennis
| align=center|
|-
|align=center|1989
|
!scope=row|
| Boxing || align=center|
|-
|align=center|1990
|
!scope=row|
| Rugby league || align=center|
|-
|align=center|1993
|
!scope=row| (2/2)
| Golf || align=center|
|-
|align=center|1994
|
!scope=row|
| Cricket || align=center|
|-
|align=center|1995
|
!scope=row|
| Rugby union || align=center|
|-
|rowspan=2 align=center|1996
|
!scope=row| <sup></sup>
| Boxing || align=center|
|-
|
!scope=row|
| Athletics|| align=center|
|-
|align=center|1998
|
!scope=row|
| Golf ||align=center|
|-
|align=center|1999
|
!scope=row|
| Athletics||align=center|
|-
|align=center|2000
|
!scope=row|
| Golf ||align=center|
|-
|align=center|2001
|
!scope=row|
| Tennis ||align=center|
|-
|align=center|2002
|
!scope=row| Ronaldo
| Football ||align=center|
|-
|align=center|2003
| <del>'</del>
!scope=row| <del>'</del>
| <del>Cycling</del> ||align=center|
|-
|align=center|2004
|
!scope=row| (1/4)
| Tennis ||align=center|
|-
|align=center|2005
|
!scope=row|
| Cricket ||align=center|
|-
|align=center|2006
|
!scope=row| (2/4)
| Tennis ||align=center|
|-
|align=center|2007
|
!scope=row| (3/4)
| Tennis ||align=center|
|-
|align=center|2008
|
!scope=row| (1/3)
| Athletics ||align=center|
|-
|align=center|2009
|
!scope=row| (2/3)
| Athletics ||align=center|
|-
|align=center|2010
|
!scope=row|
| Tennis ||align=center|
|-
|align=center|2011
|
!scope=row|
| Tennis ||align=center|
|-
|align=center|2012
|
!scope=row| (3/3)
| Athletics ||align=center|
|-
|align=center|2013
|
!scope=row|
| Formula One ||align=center|
|-
|align=center|2014
|
!scope=row| Cristiano Ronaldo
| Football || align=center|
|-
|align=center|2015
|
!scope="row"| Dan Carter
| Rugby union || align=center|
|-
|align=center|2016
|
!scope="row"|
| Gymnastics ||align=center|
|-
|align=center|2017
|
!scope=row| (4/4)
| Tennis ||align=center|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center" colspan=5 |BBC World Sports Personality of the Year winners
|-
|align=center|2018
|
!scope="row"|
| Golf ||align=center|
|-
|align=center|2019
|
!scope="row"|
| Athletics ||align=center|
|-
|align=center|2020
|
!scope="row"|
| Mixed martial arts ||align=center|
|-
|align=center|2021
|
!scope="row"|
| Horse racing ||align=center|
|-
|align=center|2022
|
!scope="row"|
| Football ||align=center|
|-
|align=center|2023
|
!scope="row"|
| Football ||align=center|
|-
|align=center|2024
|
!scope="row"| (1/2)
| Athletics ||align=center|
|-
|align=center|2025
|
!scope="row"| (2/2)
| Athletics ||align=center|
|}
By nationality
This table lists the total number of awards won by place of birth.
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|-
!scope=col|Nationality
!scope=col|Number of wins
|-
!scope=row|
|align=center| 18
|-
!scope=row|
|align=center| 8
|-
!scope=row|
|align=center| 5
|-
!scope=row|
|align=center| 4
|-
!scope=row|
|align=center| 3
|-
!scope=row|
|align=center| 3
|-
!scope=row|
|align=center| 3
|-
!scope=row|
|align=center| 2
|-
!scope=row|
|align=center| 2
|-
!scope=row|
|align=center| 2
|-
!scope=row|
|align=center| 2
|-
!scope=row|
|align=center| 2
|-
!scope=row|
|align=center| 2
|-
!scope=row|
|align=center| 1
|-
!scope=row|
|align=center| 1
|-
!scope=row|
|align=center| 1
|-
!scope=row|
|align=center| 1
|-
!scope=row|
|align=center| 1
|-
!scope=row|
|align=center| 1
|-
!scope=row|
|align=center| 1
|-
!scope=row|
|align=center| 1
|-
!scope=row|
|align=center| 1
|-
!scope=row|
|align=center| 1
|-
!scope=row|
|align=center| 1
|-
!scope=row|
|align=center| 1
|-
!scope=row|
|align=center| 1
|}
By sport
This table lists the total number of awards won by recipient's sporting profession.
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|-
!scope=col|Sporting profession
!scope=col|Number of wins
|-
!scope=row|Tennis
|align=center| 17
|-
!scope=row|Athletics
|align=center| 13
|-
!scope=row|Golf
|align=center| 9
|-
!scope=row|Football
|align=center| 6
|-
!scope=row|Boxing
|align=center| 5
|-
!scope=row|Cricket
|align=center| 3
|-
!scope=row|Figure skating
|align=center| 3
|-
!scope=row|Gymnastics
|align=center| 3
|-
!scope=row|Formula One
|align=center| 2
|-
!scope=row|Horse racing
|align=center|2
|-
!scope=row|Rugby union
|align=center| 2
|-
!scope=row|Cycling
|align=center| 1
|-
!scope=row|Rugby league
|align=center| 1
|-
!scope=row|Mixed martial arts
|align=center| 1
|}
By gender
This table lists the total number of awards won by gender.
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|-
!scope=col|Gender
!scope=col|Number of wins
|-
!scope=row|Male
|align=center| 52.5
|-
!scope=row|Female
|align=center| 8.5
|}
Note
- The fractions refer to occasions on which the awarded was shared between more than one person.
See also
- Athlete of the Year
- Laureus World Sports Award for Sportsman of the Year (Laureus World Sports Academy)
- Laureus World Sports Award for Sportswoman of the Year
- L'Équipe Champion of Champions
References
;General
;Specific