The victory of the Ukrainian group Kalush Orchestra at Eurovision in May brought pride to a country struggling against Russian invasion. But Ukraine will not organize the next edition of the song contest, which will be held in the United Kingdom in 2023, the British government and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) confirmed on Monday (July 25th).
Already in June, the EBU had announced that it could not be held in Ukraine “For safety reasons”. The country had strongly contested the decision of the organizer of the event, followed by tens of millions of viewers, to withdraw the 67th Eurovision for security reasons.
Discussions had then been started with the United Kingdom, which had volunteered, and had finished in second place in the competition.. Un agreement was announced on Monday for the BBC to host the contest, in a version that will feature Ukraine, “on behalf of this year’s winning broadcaster, Ukrainian UA:PBC”insisted the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in a press release.
“This Eurovision is Ukraine’s, and it’s a real privilege and honor for the UK to support our friends,” British Culture Minister Nadine Dorries said in a statement. on Twitter. “I am sorry that due to the bloodshed still caused by Russia, it was not possible to host the event in Ukraine, where it should take place”she insisted.
It’s official. Eurovision is coming to the UK.
This is Ukraine’s Eurovision and it’s an absolute privilege and honor for the UK to be supporting our friends pic.twitter.com/xi3rXu8E2g
—Nadine Dorries (@NadineDorries) July 25, 2022
In a press release (in English)the EBU assures that the ceremony will include “Ukrainian elements”. “I am confident that together we will manage to add a Ukrainian spirit to this event”valued Mykola Chernotytskyi, boss of Ukrainian public broadcasting, quoted by the EBU. Expressing her “regret” that Ukraine cannot organize the competition, Tim Davie, the director-general of British public television, promises in the same press release that the ceremony will be “an authentic reflection of Ukrainian culture”.
Ukraine will still automatically qualify for the final of the competition as title contenders, says the EBU. Great favorite, the Kalush Orchestra had won the final of the competition in May with the song Stefania mixing hip-hop and traditional music, a victory symbolizing Ukrainian resilience in the war and European popular solidarity. Briton Sam Ryder and his title space man had obtained second place, an unexpected result for the British accustomed to the bottom of the table in recent years, with even zero points in 2021.
The United Kingdom has not hosted Eurovision since 1998, then in Birmingham, in the center of England. The BBC, which has been broadcasting Eurovision since 1956, will launch the selection process for the competition’s host city this week. Several cities have already applied, such as Manchester, in the north of England, but also London, which “would be honored to run a competition that celebrates the people of Ukraine and the best of the UK”assured its mayor Sadiq Khan.