SPOTY: Ronnie O'Sullivan, Tyson Fury and Hollie Doyle on list of nominees

Lewis Hamilton, Stuart Broad, Jordan Henderson and Hollie Doyle join them on the shortlist.

World heavyweight boxing champion Fury, 31, claimed the WBC belt after beating Deontay Wilder in their monumental rematch in February following 2018’s controversial draw.

He produced the most destructive performance of his career to end the American's five-year reign as champion in seven thrilling rounds in Las Vegas.

O'Sullivan won snooker's World Championship for the sixth time back in August, beating Kyren Wilson in a one-sided final having produced an incredible comeback to deny old rival Mark Selby before that.

He passed 1000 century breaks in 2019 and secured a record a record seventh UK Championship a year earlier, but it took his sixth world title - and first since 2013 - for the sport's greatest player to work his way onto the shortlist.

O'Sullivan said: “It’s always nice to get nominated for such an award. I’m kind of happy inside and it’s good.

“There’s been some years where I thought I’d done well enough to get in the top ten and I hadn’t made it and I just thought maybe, I don’t think it was anything against me, and it was more where snooker stands in the sporting world.

“In the 90s and the 80s snooker was super popular and you had [Steve] Davis and [Stephen] Hendry getting nominated and even winning it. Other sports have kind of pushed on a bit, if you like, and snooker has been pushed down the ladder a little bit in the popularity sense.

“I think it was more like snooker has become a less important sport than other sports, and in some ways this is not just about being the best sportsman, but being in the right sport at the right time. Maybe that was the reason why I never got nominated before so for snooker, to have a snooker player nominated, is good for snooker as well, I think.

“Any time a snooker player gets nominated for an award that’s not just involving other snooker players it’s nice for the sport in many ways. Like I say, it feels like in some ways there’s been years where a lot of the fans and people have said ‘he has to be in there’ and ‘he’s not in there,’ and there were a few campaigns going at one stage. Sometimes it feels like if they don’t nominate me now, then maybe there’ll be no other chance to nominate me.

“Managing to win the world title, I suppose, was a good reason for me to just get in this year, so it’s nice.

“If I didn’t win the world title – I won the Shanghai Masters which is a great event – but there’s been years where I’ve won six or seven tournaments and not even got in the top ten. It wouldn’t have made sense by just winning one tournament.

“Whatever way it is I think sometimes, for an award like that, the people that are watching it and are sports fans, will look and go even if he hasn’t been at his peak this year, for his longevity in the sport, whatever it is, 30 years at the top playing snooker, in some ways they’ll kind of justifiably say he’s earned his right to be in the ring just for this one time.

“It would be nice to join the Nugget [Steve Davis winning it in 1988] – he was a hero of mine growing up, and I’d have been 13 then! I remember seeing Davis on then winning that. Just to be a snooker player, watching another snooker player win what is the sportsman or all sports of the year, I suppose. He was a huge man in the 80s and so was Hendry as well, so it’s nice to get on the list.

“There’s some amazing people in there – amazing athletes that have done some brilliant things, so just to be in the running is fantastic. I’m just excited – at least I’ll have an interest in watching this year in many ways.

“It’d be like you’ve got your own political party – I know what it feels like to be the Conservatives or Labour trying to get their votes in at the last minute. ‘Are they going to do it, are they not?’

“I’ll be at home watching it – I’ve got a few things on at that time so we’ll try and make sure that we’ve got the cameras set up so at least if I do win it I can go cheers to the nation!”

WST chairman Barry Hearn said: "This is fully deserved for snooker’s greatest ever player and one of the most talented British sportsmen of all time. His nomination is well overdue so I am delighted that he is finally on the shortlist.

"Ronnie’s popularity among fans has helped us to grow snooker around the world. I hope he wins the award and that anyone who loves sport will vote for him based on his incredible achievements over the years."

O'Sullivan is the first snooker player nominated for the main award since Stephen Hendry in 1990, two years after Steve Davis won it.

Voting will begin during the live show which is due to be broadcast later than usual on Sunday December 20.