The ABC Sportsman Of The Year Awards were started in 1951 and first televised in 1957. Despite the gender-specific title, both males and females were eligible. The awards were eventually re-named the ABC Sports Award Of The Year in 1984 and later merged with the Sport Australia Awards to become the Australian Sports Awards. They continued until 2006.

The 1980 ABC Sportsman Of The Year was hosted by Norman May, with the major award won by motor racing driver Alan Jones.

See also: Saturday 3 January 1981 — SYDNEY

Source: TV Scene, 3 January 1981

	ABV2	HSV7	GTV9	ATV10	SBS0/28
6AM			6am Rocky And His Friends 6.30 King Leonardo
7AM			7am King Kong 7.30 Sigmund And The Sea Monsters
8AM		8am Swiss Family Robinson	8am How 8.30 Nobody’s House	8am Waterline 8.30 Laurel And Hardy (B&W)
9AM		9am Sounds. Donnie Sutherland	9am The Curiosity Show	9am Cartoon Carnival
10AM			10am The Krofft Supershow 10.50 Cricket: First Test. Australia v India. Live from the Sydney Cricket Ground	10.30 The Magic Wok
11AM				11am Let’s Go Greek — Endaxi. John Tikis
12PM		12pm John’s Workshop 12.30 Havoc		12pm The Cisco Kid
1PM	1pm Soccer: Match Of The Day	1pm Tennis: Australian Men’s Open. Live from Kooyong, Melbourne	1pm Snooker: TAA International Championship 1.30 Cricket (cont’d)	1pm Movie: Magic Fire. 1954 [IMDB]
2PM	2pm Motor Racing: Manufacturers Championship. Highlights
3PM	3pm Fall Line 3.50 Basketball: Australian Men’s Final 1979. Victoria v South Australia (Rpt)	3pm Racing. Live from Moonee Valley, Melbourne		3pm Making It Together 3.30 The Rovers
4PM	4.55 Paddles Up			4pm Wild Kingdom 4.30 Barrier Reef
5PM	5.10 Thrillmaker Sports 5.35 Survival	5pm Tennis (cont’d)		5pm Almost Anything Goes	5.30pm Cartoons
6PM	6.05 The Magic Show	6pm Seven National News 6.30 Little Women	6pm National Nine News 6.30 Diff’rent Strokes	6pm Eyewitness News 6.30 Young Talent Time (Rpt)	6pm The Orphan (France) 6.30 In The Wake Of Odysseus (Germany)
7PM	7pm ABC News 7.15 Today’s Sport 7.26 Weather 7.30 Parkinson	7.30 Phyl And Mikhy	7pm Angie 7.30 Salvage 1	7.30 Special: Roger Whittaker	7pm Along The Mediterranean (Yugoslavia) 7.30 Josephine (France)
8PM	8.35 Special: ABC Sportsman Of The Year 1980. Norman May	8pm The Howerd Confessions 8.25 Tattersall’s Super 66 8.30 Special: George Burns’ 100th Birthday	8.30 Movie: The Great Niagara. 1974 [IMDB]	8.30 Special: The Elusive Geisha. Paul Ricketts
9PM	9.35 ABC News, Weather 9.45 Target	9.35 Tattslotto 9.40 Fallen Hero		9.30 Movie: The Laughing Policeman. 1973 [IMDB]	9pm Movie: I Only Wish You Loved Me (Germany) [IMDB]
10PM	10.35 The Val Doonican Music Show	10.40 Big League Soccer	10pm Cricket: First Test. Highlights 10.30 Movie: In Broad Daylight. 1971 [IMDB]		10.30 Close
11PM	11.25 Close	11.55 Movie: Breakout. 1967 [IMDB]		11.40 World Snooker
12AM			12am Movie: The Killers. 1964 (B&W) [IMDB]	12.10am Special Edition 12.40 Movie: The Last Days Of Dolwyn. 1949 (B&W) [IMDB]
1AM		1.45am Close
2AM			2am Movie: The Gamblers. 1970 [IMDB]
3AM			3.50 Movie: The Brasher Doubloon. 1947 (B&W) [IMDB]	3.30 Close
4AM
5AM			5.10 Danger Man (B&W) (Continues to 6am)