The BBC has been urged to review how the shortlist for its annual Sports Personality of the Year award is compiled, after this year's top ten failed to include any women athletes.

Nearly 30 newspapers and magazines across the UK are invited by the BBC to submit their ten selections for the shortlist, which were then collated to provide a final top ten.

Athletes such as Alistair Cook and Andrew Strauss (cricket); Rory McIlroy (golf) and Mark Cavendish (cycling) are among the ten included in the running for this year's award.

However, the shortlist and the nomination process has come under fire after athletes such as swimmers Keri-Anne Payne, Rebecca Adlington and triathlete Chrissie Wellington missed out.

Sue Tibballs, chief executive of the Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation (WSFF), said: "We know that the British sports culture is very male dominated and women's sport struggles to get the profile and attention it deserves.

"But we also know British sports fans hold women's sport in high regard. The question is, does the panel reflect the views of sports fans - the public response would suggest not."

Shadow culture secretary Harriet Harman added: "It is not good enough for the BBC just to review the shortlist process for next year. They must act now to ensure women are included this year."

The controversy comes just weeks after WSFF published a report that found women's sport was "spectacularly missing out" on large sponsorship agreements.

Big Deal? The case for commercial investment in women's sport found sponsorship of women's elite sport in the UK represented just 0.5 per cent of the total market.

Image: Chrissie Wellington won her fourth Ironman Triathlon World Championship title this year, but was not included on the shortlist - taken by "Dontworry"