Velaquez – VP of Sports at Telemundo.

Telemundo Communications Group announced the promotion of Eli Velazquez from Director to Vice President, Sports, Telemundo, effective immediately. The announcement was made by Jorge Hidalgo, Senior Executive Vice President of News and Sports for Telemundo, to whom Velazquez will continue to report to.

“Eli has played a vital role in the development and growth of our award-winning Sports division for the last ten years” said Hidalgo. “His professionalism and extensive knowledge of the sports industry both on the production and programming fronts as well as his keen understanding of the U.S. Hispanic sports enthusiast are a huge value to the Sports department and the network as a whole.”

In his new role, Velazquez will oversee all sports related programming and operations for the network, including “Rumbo Al Mundial,” “Titulares Telemundo,” “Titulares Y Mas,” “Boxeo Telemundo,” “Ritmo Deportivo” and this Fall’s highly anticipated “Futbol Estelar,” featuring Chivas of Guadlajara. In addition, he is responsible for leading the strategic domestic growth and integration of the department’s emerging platforms, while securing new and innovative ways to evolve the Telemundo Sports brand across all platforms.

Velazquez joined Telemundo in 1999 as a Sports Producer. In 2001, he was promoted to Senior Producer of the Sports Department; specifically responsible for the Sunday night edition of “Titulares Telemundo,” “Los Triunfadores,” coverage of World Cup 2002 and all related aspects of the NBA on Telemundo. He served as the company’s liaison with the league office, producing Men’s games, NBA, MAX and supervising the WNBA on Telemundo.

Among his many accomplishments at Telemundo, Velazquez received an Emmy nomination for “Julio Cesar Chavez: Entre La Gloria y El Infierno,” a half-hour primetime special about the life of one of Mexico’s living sports legends, which he produced and edited.

In 2003, he was promoted to Executive Producer and was responsible for production and operations of all Sports properties. In 2005, he was promoted to Director and in this role he played an instrumental role in developing associations with NASCAR and the NFL, he has worked with Sales to secure new and existing sponsorships while embracing new commercial advertising trends, and has been a staunch advocate for the increased exposure of the Sports brand online and in regional markets at the grass roots level.