The shortlist features Nicola Adams, Ben Ainslie, Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah, Katherine Grainger, Sir Chris Hoy, Rory McIlroy, Andy Murray, Ellie Simmonds, Sarah Storey, David Weir and Bradley Wiggins.
In addition to the main award of Sports Personality of the Year, won in 2011 by Mark Cavendish, there will also be awards for: Team of the Year, Coach of the Year, Overseas Sports Personality of the Year, Young Sports Personality of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, Helen Rollason Award and Sports Unsung Hero.
Representing eight sports, the 12 shortlisted for the evening’s main award were put forward by an expert panel which was put together following criticism of an all-male list decided via a different method in 2011.
The 2000 winner Sir Steve Redgrave, Baroness Grey-Thompson and Denise Lewis were joined by Baroness Campbell, chair of UK Sport, and representatives from the BBC and the newspaper industry.
Presented by Sue Barker, Gary Lineker and Clare Balding, the show will welcome a star-studded line-up of medal winners and sporting heroes to London’s 15,000-capacity ExCeL.
It will be a climax to 12 months of sport which saw London host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
To reflect a brilliant year for British sport, the shortlist for the coveted title was extended from 10 to 12.
Adams became the first female fighter to win an Olympic boxing title while Ainslie’s four gold medals made him the most decorated Olympic sailor.
Ennis won her first Olympic gold medal with victory in the heptathlon, Farah became the first Briton to win both the 5,000m and 10,000m and rower Katherine Grainger followed up three Olympic silvers with a gold in the women’s double sculls.
