UK asked to host Eurovision Song Contest as Ukraine officially pulls out

msn.com:

The Eurovision Broadcasting Union has announced that the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest will not be held in Ukraine after Kalush Orchestra’s win last month.

Kalush Orchestra, rose up the leaderboard with their track Stefania, just weeks after the nation was invaded by Russia, and went on to become champions.

This meant that in 2023, as per tradition, it would be the job of the nation to host the upcoming song contest in one of Ukraine’s major cities.

However, there were soon uncertainties over whether this would be viable, and the EBU confirmed the decision a statement this morning The EBU said: ‘Following their win at the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in May the EBU has been exploring options for the hosting of next year’s competition with Ukraine’s public broadcaster UA:PBC, who previously staged the event in 2017 and 2005. ‘It has become a well-known tradition that the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest hosts the competition the following year, providing certain criteria including ensuring the viability of staging the event and the safety of all stakeholders, including the public, are met. ’It went on to address the ongoing war in Ukraine, and the organisation has taken time to work out whether it would be ‘feasible’ to host in the winning country. ‘The Eurovision Song Contest is one of the most complex TV productions in the world with thousands working on, and attending, the event and 12 months of preparation time needed. ‘Following objective analysis, the Reference Group, the ESC’s governing board, has with deep regret concluded that, given the current circumstances, the security and operational guarantees required for a broadcaster to host, organize and produce the Eurovision Song Contest under the ESC Rules.