The 10 male shortlisted contenders were chosen by a panel of sports editors from newspapers and magazines, all of who were male, and Pickering said that the voting system should be changed.

"It is a real shame," Pickering said on BBC Radio 5 live.

"I know all the athletes look forward to the Sports Personality every year and I think the women have had a really successful year so it is such a shame that they have been overlooked when it has come to the final ten.

"I don't think you need to have quotas [for men and women] but I think that is does really indicate how sport is currently viewed in this country.

"It is very male-orientated and when you look at the papers, it is probably written for men to read.

"It is not really geared towards women to read.

"So when you have the sports editors choosing, perhaps it is going to lean towards the male sports.

"So maybe they need to look at a broader way of getting the votes for nominations in.

"I think it would be a good idea for all past winners to have a vote, a bit like they do at the Oscars.

"It would be better if you had various athletes and past winners voting who have really been involved in sport.

"Then you might get a better overview."


The 39-year-old from Brighton (pictured), who won four gold medals in a glittering career, added that she felt there were some glaring female omissions from the list, including those of Rebecca Adlington and Keri-Anne Payne, who both won gold at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai.

"If you look at the top ten, I think it is great to see, from athletics, Dai Greene and Mo Farah, both world champions, in there from the top ten," said Pickering.

"But it is strange that all of the sports editors deemed them more worthy of the award than the two swimming, female world champions Rebecca Adlington and Keri-Anne Payne, who had that tremendous win in the open water event.

"So I guess it is the strange way that sport is viewed at the moment."

There has been particular criticism that the panel of 27 sports editors from newspapers and magazines includes men's magazines Zoo and Nuts, while the Manchester Evening News has also attracted controversy for selecting foreign stars such as Dimitar Berbatov, Yaya Touré and Patrick Vieira.

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