We put forward the case both for and against for the top five contenders to win the Sports Personality of the Year Award.
Andy Murray (1/7)
Finished the year as the world number one, winning nine titles including Wimbledon and his second successive Olympic singles title. Became the first person, man or woman, to defend their Olympic title. Finished the season by winning his last 24 consecutive matches, claiming the ATP World Tour Finals title.
Murray has had to wait for a loss in form from rival Novak Djokovic to secure the world number one spot.The top 8 players, relative to the last 15 years, are not of the same quality, with Federer and Nadal both past the peak of their powers.
Alistair Brownlee (10/1)
Became the first man to retain the Olympic Triathlon Gold medal, finishing just ahead of his brother, Jonny. In a display of unbelievable sportsmanship, he carried his exhausted brother Jonny over the line ahead of him at the end of the Triathlon World Series.
Hasn't been in he public eye for much of the year, with triathlon not a hugely popular sport in the UK. Has only come into the reckoning for the prize because of his sportsmanship with his brother. He was 100/1 prior to that moment.
Mo Farah (50/1)
Farah won double gold at the 2016 Olympics, winning the 10,000 metres and 5,000 metres to become the first Briton to win three (and then four) athletic gold Olympic medals.
It's debatable whether his achievements match those of the likes of Murray, who has delivered consistently for the whole year.
Laura Kenny (50/1)
Laura Kenny won gold as part of the team pursuit and took gold in the omnium to once again become Britain's most successful female Olympian.
Has been nominated for SPOTY in the past and didn't quite get enough of the public vote.
Gareth Bale (66/1)
Captained the Wales team to the Euro 2016 semi final, scoring three goals. It was the first time in their history Wales had made it to that stage of the competition.
A footballer has not won the award since Ryan Giggs in 2009. His achievements this year don't quite match up to some of the other nominees and while he can expect a lot of votes from Wales, it won't be enough to see him win.
