EBU statement
“Security cannot be guaranteed”: The ESC 2023 will not take place in Ukraine
The Kalush Orchestra won the ESC this year.
© 2022 AFP
The Kalush Orchestra won this year’s ESC. Nevertheless, the competition will not be held in Ukraine next year. This was announced by the EBU – and announced the new host country.
It is a long tradition of the Eurovision Song Contest that the competition is held in the home country of the previous year’s winner. This year the Kalush Orchestra from Ukraine won – but the ESC 2023 will not take place in the Eastern European country. This was announced by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the organizer of the music event, on its website.
The ESC 2023 will be relocated
The competition has already taken place twice in Ukraine: in 2005 and 2017. The country also wanted to host the ESC again in 2023 – President Volodymyr Zelenskyj expressly confirmed this after the Kalush Orchestra’s victory in mid-May.
But after intensive talks between the EBU and the Ukrainian TV broadcaster UA:PBC, the decision was made in Ukraine’s favour. The EBU justified the cancellation with the war in the country triggered by the Russian invasion. The Eurovision Song Contest is one of the most complex TV productions in the world, the statement said, involving thousands and requiring 12 months of preparation. Under the current circumstances, the security of organizing such an event and producing it in accordance with the ESC rules cannot be guaranteed
An alternative venue has already been determined: According to the rules of the EBU, the runner-up will move up. This year it was Brit Sam Ryder. The EBU announced that it would be in talks with the BBC to host ESC 2023 in Great Britain.
Ukraine should not be forgotten: “It is our full intention that the Ukrainian victory will be reflected in the shows next year. That will be a priority for our talks with the eventual host.” The BBC has already responded on Twitter and said it was willing to negotiate.
Although Ukraine took part in the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time in 2003, the country has already won the competition three times: in 2004 Ruslana won with “Wild Dances”, in 2016 Jamala with “1944”. You both succeeded in what the Kalush Orchestra is now denied: you brought the ESC home.
Source used: European Broadcasting Union, twitter.com/bbcpress