ESPN Deportes & International Domino Federation Reach Exclusive Agreement.

Following its groundbreaking effort to bring the game of dominoes to its viewers, ESPN Deportes, ESPN’s Spanish-language network, has reached an exclusive agreement with the International Domino Federation to televise rights of the governing body’s annual World Domino Championship as well as the federation’s national and regional tournaments in the Americas through 2011. The agreement follows ESPN Deportes’ telecast of the 2005 World Domino Tournament from Las Vegas, which will also be televised in English on ESPN2 beginning June 12.

“Our commitment in bringing the widely popular game of dominoes to our viewers remains intact,” said Lino Garcia, general manager, ESPN Deportes. “This agreement with the International Domino Federation, one of the game’s most respected organizations, reinforces our pledge to bring to our viewers the best and most competitive domino tournaments in the world.”

The International Domino Federation’s World Domino Championship is scheduled for Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in 2007 and Orlando, Florida in 2008.

“The International Domino Federation is extremely pleased with the agreement it has reached with ESPN Deportes,” said Eduard Petrenas, president, International Domino Federation. “Both parties have shown a strong commitment to make dominoes the next mainstream sport on television.”

The 2005 World Domino Tournament featured more than 40 teams from the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean competing in a two-day tournament that featured the most skilled professional players.