Northern Ireland is really on a roll when it comes to sport. In May the Guinness Pro12 Final is already a sellout for Ulster Rugby at Kingspan Stadium. The Dubai Duty Free Irish Open is heading the same way, and al this is off the back off a wonderful start to the Giro d’Italia last summer which showed off Belfast and the surrounding area to the world.
Now it has secured another plum sports event with the decision by the BBC to host it’s Sports Personality of the Year Award from the Odyssey Arena.
This event has moved from a TV Studio to a London Conference hall to being a mass audience event in recent year’s. Last year it was held in Glasgow in front of a crowd of over 25,000.
It draws the biggest stars from the world of sport and will have paparazzi and gossip columnists in a frenzy on December 20th.
Gary Lineker, Gabby Logan and Clare Balding will likely be in charge of proceedings again.
Will it be time for Rory McIlroy to go one better than last year and win the overall prize previously brought to the North by Tony McCoy, Barry McGuigan and Dame Mary Peters. It promises to be a great way to end the year.
The BBC’s Director of Sport Barbara Slater told the BBC website they had wanted to bring the show to Belfast for a long time.
“The city, and Northern Ireland as whole, is home to so many sporting legends and steeped in sporting history, not to mention its worldwide reputation for a welcome second to none,” she said.
“We are looking forward to a truly spectacular show.”
Golf’s world number one and runner-up for Sports Personality of the Year in 2014, Rory McIlroy, said Belfast had shown over the past few years that it could hold massive events like the Sports Personality of the Year.
“We have the facilities like the Odyssey Arena which hosted the MTV music awards. I think it will be huge,” said McIlroy.
“Belfast has been crying out for events like this, and in the years since the Millennium it has grown into a really vibrant city.”
