The ` Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year candidates will be announced at the start of voting

The candidates for ` Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year 2023 have been confirmed (in alphabetical order):

• Simone Biles
• Aitana Bonmati
• Novak Djokovic
• Erling Haaland
• He is Kolisi
• Max Verstappen

From today, viewers can have their say in who will be crowned the winner by casting their vote on the ` Sport website or app. Voting ends on Tuesday, December 12, 2023 at 10:00 p.m.

The winner will be announced during the star-studded 70th anniversary show on Tuesday December 19, live on ` One and iPlayer.

Voting criteria for all awards, as well as further information and updates, can be found at bbc.co.uk/sportspersonality

Simone Biles (USA)

Biles is the most decorated gymnast in history after his golden performance at the World Gymnastics Championships. Although it was the American's first World Championships since 2019, she significantly exceeded Vitaly Scherbo's previous record of 33 medals won at the Olympic Games or World Championships. At the Antwerp championships, she claimed a record-breaking sixth all-around title, a sixth floor title and her fourth gold on beam, while also claiming the fifth team gold of her illustrious career. She also won her eighth U.S. gymnastics title, breaking a 90-year-old record set by Alfred Jochim.

Aitana Bonmati (Spain)

The Spanish midfielder enjoyed a hugely successful year for club and country. Her performances in Australia, where she scored three goals, helped Spain win the Women's World Cup final for the first time ever, defeating England. Her talent was recognized and she was named player of the tournament. Bonmati was also a key player in her victorious Barcelona team that won Liga F – Spain's top flight – as well as the Champions League, where she contributed an assist in the final. Her honors include winning the Women's Ballon d'Or in October and being named UEFA Player of the Year in August.

Novak Djokovic (Serbia)

Djokovic continued to break records in another dominant year. He began with a record-breaking 10th Australian Open before success at the French Open made him the first man in history to win every Grand Slam at least three times. He then won the US Open, securing his 24th Grand Slam triumph, equaling Margaret Court's record for major singles titles. Outside of the Slams, he won a record-equalling seventh ATP Finals title and surpassed Steffi Graf's record for most weeks spent at the top of the rankings, now over 400.

Erling Haaland (Norway)

Haaland's goals helped Manchester City to a historic treble in 2023. His individual awards for the season also included the Premier League's Player and Young Player of the Season award, the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year award, the UEFA Men's Player of the Year award of the year and the Gerd Muller Trophy at the Ballon d'Or award for the best goalscorer – where he also came second in the best player vote. He won the Premier League Golden Boot with a record 36 goals in 38 games and his 52 goals in all competitions were the most by a Premier League player in a season.

Siya Kolisi (South Africa)

The legendary South African led his country to a historic fourth Rugby World Cup title with a thrilling victory over New Zealand. Their victory made him only the second captain, after All Blacks legend Richie McCaw, to lift the trophy at consecutive tournaments. Kolisi's Springbok side won all three knockout games by just one point. He only returned to the team during the World Cup warm-up after recovering from a serious knee injury. South Africa's first black captain said afterwards that he hoped his country would be united by his team's victory.

Max Verstappen (Netherlands)

Verstappen became a three-time Formula 1 world champion in a record season in which he defended his title with six races to go. This makes him only the fifth driver in history to win the title in consecutive years. The Dutchman extended his own record of most races won in a season to 19, meaning he took the checkered flag in 86% of Grands Prix, surpassing Alberto Ascari's previous mark set in 1952. His lead over Sergio Perez was a massive 290 points, the biggest difference between first and second place in the Drivers' Championship ever.

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