Lady Mary Peters, a gold medallist at the 1972 Olympics, was on the judging panel and felt there were a number of “inspirational performances” throughout 2020.
“While it has been a strange and difficult year for all of us, our sportsmen and women have continued to excel on the world stage,” she said.
“The judging panel felt that Jonathan Rea once again deserved the 2020 award after another remarkable season. He is a fantastic ambassador for Northern Ireland who continues to rewrite the history books.
“The panel also felt that Ciara Mageean deserved special praise after breaking a number of records in what should have been an Olympic Year. Ciara was in fantastic form, and becoming the first Irish women to run under two minutes for the 800m is a stand-out achievement.
“It is also important to recognise the achievements of Rachel, Stuart and Thomas in a year like no other.”