I agree, I'm not in favour of picking from a pre selected list, especially as underwhelming a list as we have this year. OK, COVID has wreaked havoc with much sporting endeavour which means a lack of candidates . There are only really 5 slots available to start with given Hamilton's perennial nomination.

So there was no Open Golf, no Wimbledon, no Olympic Games, no Euro 2020 and most domestic sport was deferred, curtailed or simply abandoned, so the candidates would be thin on the ground, but in any "normal" year I'd wages several of these candidates would not have got close to nomination.

I believe the best way to "honour" sport in 2020 would be to cancel SPOTY, that would properly reflect the character of sport in 2020