Luke Littler Rules Himself Out of BBC SPOTY Race and Won’t Attend Ceremony

Luke Littler won’t be attending the BBC Sports Personality 2025 Awards ceremony, despite being nominated for the main Sports Personality of the Year award and being the favourite to win back-to-back young Sports Personality of the Year awards.

Title Defence Underway 

The 18-year-old world champion kicked off his PDC World Darts Championship title defence in flying fashion, beating Lithuania’s Darius Labanauskas, 3-0. 

He now has over a week off due to the extended format before his potential second-round tie against either Mario Vandenbogaerde or David Davies.

The teenage sensation’s attention is firmly on darts, as the BBC SPOTY ceremony takes place next Thursday, 18 December.

Despite being nominated for two awards, Littler has confirmed he will not be attending.

Littler to Miss BBC SPOTY Ceremony

When asked if he thought he had a chance of winning the prestigious award, Littler was blunt.

“No,” Littler responded.

On whether he would be attending the awards ceremony, Littler was equally straightforward.

“I’m not going to it.”

Big Names in the Running

When asked if he had informed the BBC of his decision, Littler added: “I think they know. The people in the top three of the betting odds will go.”

The current favourites for the awards are 2025 Masters golf champion Rory McIlroy, Formula One World Drivers champion Lando Norris, and Women’s EURO 2025 penalty hero Chloe Kelly. 

Littler believes only these three will attend, leaving him, Lioness Hannah Hampton, and England Rugby’s Ellie Kildunne at home.

Backing a Friend

Littler isn’t bitter about not seeing himself as a contender. 

Instead, he’s backing a sporting friend to take the crown. The pair met and interacted several times, notably during the 2024 Grand Prix weekend at Silverstone.

“But I think Lando [Norris] will win.”

A Stellar Year in Darts

Littler has produced one of the greatest seasons the sport has ever seen, climbing to world number one and overtaking Luke Humphries in the process. 

Despite his historic rise and staggering success, he believes the only way he’d be seen as a true contender for the BBC award is by completing a clean sweep of the PDC calendar.

He’s already captured an extraordinary six televised PDC majors this year, with only four titles slipping through his grasp: the World Masters, Premier League, World Series Finals and the European Championship (The World Cup of Darts isn’t included, as it isn’t a singles event).

“I’ve only missed out of four major this year, so if I win them, do I win it?”

He added a final note of goodwill: “Good luck to whoever is going to win it.”