(23 November 2005 2:00 pm)

MUMBAI: US broadcaster ESPN, soft drink major Pepsi and Dubai Tourism have announced the debut of ESPN X Games Dubai 2005 presented by Mountain Dew.

The event takes place in Dubai from 7-9 December 2005.

ESPN Intl MD Europe, Middle East, Africa Lynne Frank says, “We are pleased that Orbit-ESPN will showcase ESPN X Games Dubai to action sports fans throughout the region. The X Games has been a programming staple on our Orbit-ESPN network for several years and has developed a strong following throughout the region.”

There will be an exhibition with action sports athletes. Performances will be held on the vertical ramp with Aggressive In-line Skate, BMX, Skateboard and on Moto X ramps with riders. World champions in skateboarding, in-line skating, BMX and Moto X will represent their respective countries spanning the globe from the United States to Brazil to Australia.

Two of Brazil’s world champions Sandro Dias (Skateboard) and Fabiola da Silva (Aggressive In-line Skate), England’s Jamie Bestwick (BMX) and Simon Tabron (BMX), and the United States’ Chuck Carothers (Moto X) and Jesse Olson (Moto X) are just a few of the names that will be highlighted at the ESPN X Games Dubai.

ESPN will team up with Orbit Music Now and Virgin Megastores by running a regional promotion in search for hip hop talent who will be invited to perform at ESPN X Games Dubai through a series of competitions.

Pepsi's Ken Newell says, "We at PepsiCo are very excited to extend our ten-year-old partnership with ESPN in the US now to the Middle East. We continue to strive to bring new platforms for growth and action sports is one big area of focus for us. We hope to provide our consumers in the Middle East with a spectacular action sports event and programming.”

"We are thrilled to deliver the excitement of the X Games to Dubai. Through our continued relationship with PepsiCo and Mountain Dew, we will introduce the world's premier action sports event to a new market that has a growing action sports community,"said X Games executive director Jack Wienert.

ESPN’s regional network Orbit-ESPN will join with local broadcaster MBC to televise ESPN X Games Dubai throughout the Gulf. ESPN International networks will present the event to more than 100 countries and territories worldwide.