THE BBC Sports Personality of the Year award will be handed out on Sunday but with a glaring omission from the shortlist.

As I have said before, the likes of double Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton, golfer Rory McIlroy, boxer Carl Froch and athlete Jo Pavey will rightly be in the running for the prestigious prize.

But one sportsman has been overlooked — snooker sensation Ronnie O’Sullivan (pictured).

Here is a man who is widely regarded to be the best his sport has ever seen, his impact often being likened to that of Roger Federer on tennis or Tiger Woods on golf.

Last Sunday, the Rocket won the UK Championship for the fifth time in his career, despite having broken his ankle two weeks ago.

That added to a 2014 that has also seen him win the Masters and reach a third consecutive world final. He also won the much-vaunted Champion of Champions last month and has made two 147s this year, snooker’s equivalent of the hole-in-one or nine-darter.

Yet his name is nowhere to be seen on the shortlist of 10. In fact, he has never been on it, despite his iconic status within the game, and being a household name beyond it over the past 20 years.

Which begs the question why. Why is such a precocious talent continually shunned for the nominations?

There is almost certainly an element of snobbery at play here, with the judging panel giving the perception that snooker is not worthy of inclusion.

Which is odd, given that it is one of the BBC’s flagship sports, with hundreds of hours of coverage devoted to it each year.

The game is regularly given short shrift in the national media, who only ever show an interest when O’Sullivan is the story.

So, again, it is odd why a panel, including newspaper sports editors, should not consider him for the shortlist.

Multiple darts world champion Phil Taylor is a previous SPOTY runner-up so pigeon-holing snooker as a pub game doesn’t wash.

If you’re looking for personality — the award’s title but a trait often ignored in what has become a glorified popularity contest — O’Sullivan has it in spades.

I’m not suggesting he would win but to not even make the BBC's shortlist is nothing short of disgraceful.