The venue for Eurovision 2023 has been changed

Kyiv was deprived of the song contest – the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) decided that Eurovision 2023 will not take place in Ukraine.

The organizers turned to the country that took second place this year – Great Britain, and on official website EBU has a message:

“The EBU would like to thank UA.Suspilne for their sincere cooperation and dedication to exploring all scenarios in the weeks following the Kalush Orchestra victory on May 14 in Turin, and to share their sadness and disappointment that next year’s competition cannot be hosted in Ukraine. As a result of this decision, in accordance with the rules and to ensure the continuity of the event, the EBU will now start discussions with the BBC, this year’s runner-up, for the potential hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in the United Kingdom.”

Ukraine this year became the winner prestigious international competition “Eurovision”. The country was represented by the Kalush Orchestra, which received 631 points according to the results of voting by a professional jury and TV viewers. The second-placed Britain received 466 points.

In May, the EBU explored options for hosting the contest in 2023 with Ukrainian public broadcaster UA:PBC, which had previously hosted the event in 2017 and 2005. However, it is not enough to become a winner in order to hold a competition in one’s own country. It is necessary that certain criteria are met, including ensuring the viability of the event and security.

The EBU conducted a full assessment and feasibility study with UA:PBC and external experts, taking into account security issues amid the hostilities in the country. After an objective analysis, the Reference Group, the governing board of the Eurovision Song Contest, came to the conclusion – given the current circumstances, the security and functioning guarantees necessary for the broadcaster to conduct, organize and produce the Eurovision Song Contest in accordance with the rules of the Eurovision Song Contest cannot be met.

The Eurovision Song Contest is one of the most difficult TV projects in the world. Thousands of people are working on it, and it takes 12 months to prepare. Oleksandr Tkachenko, Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, disagree with the decision to transfer the competition to the UK and wants to appeal it. He declared:

“Ukraine does not agree with the nature of the adoption of such a decision – when we were presented with a fact, without discussing the possibilities of other options. Holding Eurovision 2023 in Ukraine is a powerful signal to the whole world that it supports Ukraine now. We will demand to change this decision , because we believe that we will be able to fulfill all the obligations we have undertaken, which has been repeatedly noted to the European Broadcasting Union.”

He added that the government of Ukraine provided answers and guarantees on safety standards within the specified time frame and made suggestions on possible venues for the song contest. Tkachenko wants to demand additional negotiations with the European Broadcasting Union regarding the holding of a musical event. He believes that Ukraine, as the winner of Eurovision 2023, has every reason to host the competition next year.

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