There are no women on the list for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award 2011. Why? And who would you vote for?
Shamefully, not a single woman has made it to the shortlist of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards for 2011.
What?! Is there really no inspirational female athlete who deserves our admiration for her endeavours in the sporting arena this year?
In the run-up to London's Olympic year, Britain's sports stars - male and female - have been pulling out all the stops to improve their performances, and as a result we've seen some stunning wins across so many disciplines.
Which makes it even more incredible that the 2011 BBC Sports Personality of the Year nominations fail to recognise the achievements of our female champions.
MPs have complained to the BBC about the lack of female role models to make the cut, and Lord Coe too said he was surprised that no women's names were on the list, which was compiled by a panel of 27 sports editors from national and regional newspapers and magazines.
When it came to narrowing down ours, we had a real job on our hands. The likes of heptathlete Jessica Ennis, triathlete Helen Jenkins, rower Kath Grainger, jockey Hayley Turner - not to mention stars of the England Women's rugby and cricket teams all deserve to be in with a shout. But here are our ultimate top five of 2011. What do you think?
Post your comments below, join the debate on twitter.com/zestmagazine (hashtag #ZestSPOTY) and vote in our online poll to let our female athletes know that we support and appreciate their efforts - even if the BBC's annual sports gong fest is a sadly female-free zone this year.
Some female sports stars who should have made the list...
1. Chrissie Wellington
Wellington won her fourth World Ironman Triathlon championship and set two world records this year, cementing her position as the world's leading endurance athlete. She devotes much of her spare time to promoting development issues and charity work.
'We have the power to change things, and sport is one vehicle for doing so,' Wellington says.
2. Keri-Anne Payne
Swam through murky Shanghai waters to reclaim the 10km Open Water title at the World Aquatic Championships. In doing so, Payne also became the first British athlete in any sport to qualify for the London 2012 Olympics.
3. Victoria Pendleton
Zest magazine columnist Pendleton pedalled to gold in the Team Sprint at the European Track Cycling Championships and silver and a bronze at the World Track Championships.
4. Sarah Stevenson
Taekwondo champion Stevenson won her third world title in May, beating the reigning Olympic champion, to take gold at the World Taekwondo Championships. It was a bittersweet victory, as she lost both her parents this year, to cancer and a brain tumour.
5. Rebecca Adlington
Olympic golden girl Adlington hasn't rested on her laurels this year, winning multiple medals including gold in the 800m freestyle at the World Swimming Championships: her first world title over long course. She is now the reigning Olympic and World champion at the distance.
Let us know what you think: twitter.com/zestmagazine (hashtag #ZestSPOTY) and vote in our online poll.
