John Dykes
Encyclopedia
John Dykes is an international sports broadcaster, especially well known in Asia after working for almost a decade as host of ESPN STAR Sports
' coverage of the Premier League and European football
.
, England
in 1964, went to Brentwood School and left England when he was 18.
. A move to Hong Kong
led to a successful stint at the South China Morning Post
, where he was a Sports Writer, Feature Writer and Entertainment Editor for the Sunday Edition. During his time in Hong Kong, he also covered both sports and entertainment beats as a showbiz presenter at TVB. He hosted TVB's live coverage of the Academy Awards
for five straight years.
, golf
, cricket
and rugby
. Highlights of his time with ESPN STAR Sports include his anchoring the broadcast of cricket's 1999 World Cup
in England, trips to Wimbledon
and Flushing Meadows to work alongside Vijay Amritraj
on Grand Slam tennis, and his work in Augusta for Tiger Woods
' triumph at the 2001 Masters
. Over the years, he has been the host of Inside Cricket and The Formula One
pre-show, Raceday, as well as launching Sportsline - the predecessor to SportsCenter
- in India.
including Live Matchday coverage of the Barclays Premier League, post-match (Final Score), Football Focus and First Edition. Dykes was joined by Sky Sports
' Richard Keys
for First Edition, which rounded-up the major footballing stories across European newsprint. His departure from ESPN Star Sports
was announced in March 2010 and he hosted his final shows in May 2010.
ESPN Star Sports
ESPN Star Sports is a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and News Corporation...
' coverage of the Premier League and European football
European football
European football is a colloquial term referring to any international football club competition that is organised by UEFA. Any club that wishes to participate in European football must qualify through their respective domestic league or domestic cup competitions...
.
Biography
Dykes was born in EssexEssex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1964, went to Brentwood School and left England when he was 18.
Early career
He began his media career as a college radio DJ whilst studying English Literature at Warwick UniversityUniversity of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
. A move to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
led to a successful stint at the South China Morning Post
South China Morning Post
The South China Morning Post , together with its Sunday edition, the Sunday Morning Post, is an English-language Hong Kong newspaper, published by the SCMP Group with a circulation of 104,000....
, where he was a Sports Writer, Feature Writer and Entertainment Editor for the Sunday Edition. During his time in Hong Kong, he also covered both sports and entertainment beats as a showbiz presenter at TVB. He hosted TVB's live coverage of the Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for five straight years.
Initial stint with ESPN Star
At the start of his career at ESPN STAR, Dykes hosted tournaments across diverse sports such as tennisTennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
. Highlights of his time with ESPN STAR Sports include his anchoring the broadcast of cricket's 1999 World Cup
1999 Cricket World Cup
-England:-Outside England:-Group A:-Results:-------------------------------------------------------------Group B:-Results:------------------------------------------------------------...
in England, trips to Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
and Flushing Meadows to work alongside Vijay Amritraj
Vijay Amritraj
Vijay Amritraj is a former Indian tennis player, sports commentator and actor.Amritraj was born in Chennai, India to Maggie Dhairyam and Robert Amritraj. He and his brothers, Anand Amritraj and Ashok Amritraj, were among the first Indians to play in top-flight international tour tennis...
on Grand Slam tennis, and his work in Augusta for Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
' triumph at the 2001 Masters
2001 Masters Tournament
The 2001 Masters Tournament was the 65th Masters Tournament held from April 5-8 at Augusta National Golf Club. Tiger Woods won his second Masters and sixth overall major championship by two strokes over David Duval. This championship marked the completion of the Tiger Slam with Woods having won the...
. Over the years, he has been the host of Inside Cricket and The Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
pre-show, Raceday, as well as launching Sportsline - the predecessor to SportsCenter
SportsCenter
SportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
- in India.
Football with ESPN Star
From 2001 to 2010, Dykes hosted football on ESPN Star SportsESPN Star Sports
ESPN Star Sports is a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and News Corporation...
including Live Matchday coverage of the Barclays Premier League, post-match (Final Score), Football Focus and First Edition. Dykes was joined by Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
' Richard Keys
Richard Keys
Richard Keys is an English radio presenter best known for his time with British sports channel Sky Sports from 1991 until 2011. In February 2011, Keys along with fellow Sky presenter, Andy Gray signed with talkSPORT....
for First Edition, which rounded-up the major footballing stories across European newsprint. His departure from ESPN Star Sports
ESPN Star Sports
ESPN Star Sports is a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and News Corporation...
was announced in March 2010 and he hosted his final shows in May 2010.