Eurovision says delegations 'didn't respect the spirit of the rules'

admin admin | 05-15 00:15

The organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest have said that they will review the competition after some delegations "didn't respect the spirit of the rules".

The event at Malmö Arena in Sweden, where Nemo took home the trophy for Switzerland with the song The Code, was plagued by controversies.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said in a statement: "We regret that some delegations at the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö didn’t respect the spirit of the rules and the competition both on-site and during their broadcasts.

Nemo

"We spoke to a number of delegations during the event regarding various issues that were brought to our attention.

"The EBU’s governing bodies will, together with the heads of delegations, review the events surrounding the ESC in Malmö to move forward in a positive way and to ensure the values of the event are respected by everyone.

"Individual cases will be discussed by the event’s governing body, the Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group made up of representatives from participating broadcasters, at its next meeting."

This year the competition saw disqualifications, pro-Palestinian protests and complaints by Ireland’s entry Bambie Thug.

The "ouija pop" star secured a sixth place finish in Ireland’s first grand final of the music event since 2018.

Bambie, who has been outspoken about their pro-Palestine views, accused the Israeli broadcaster, Kan, of a rule break and said they have been waiting to hear back from the EBU about what action would be taken.

Joost Klein

The singer told journalists: "Kan the broadcaster incited violence against me twice, three times. We brought it up to the EBU. They said they follow up."

The competition was also mired in controversy surrounding the participation of Israel’s Eden Golan, and a large group of demonstrators were outside Malmö Arena as the acts performed.

Several protesters were detained and taken away by police, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.

There was also controversy after the disqualification of the Netherlands’s contestant Joost Klein, who was stopped from taking part over an "incident" where he was alleged to have made verbal threats to a female production worker.

This move was strongly criticised by the Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS, who called the penalty "very heavy and disproportionate".

Source: Press Association

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.


ALSO READ

EV sales in EU plunge 44%

New car sales in the European Union (EU) fell 18.3% in August to their lowest in three years, dragge...

'Economy moving from stability to growth'

ISLAMABAD: Rana Ihsan Afzal Khan, Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Commerce and Industry, stated...

Social media users lack control over data used by AI: report

NEW YORK: Social media companies collect, share and process vast troves of information about their u...

Cyberattacks on kids surge 30%

ISLAMABAD: Cybercriminals have ramped up their attacks on young online gamers, with incidents rising...

Pak-Swiss trade ties a top priority: envoy

ISLAMABAD: Swiss Ambassador to Pakistan, George Steiner, on Thursday, stressed that strengthening bi...

'Certifications key to boosting sea trade'

KARACHI The maritime sector in Pakistan holds immense potential, especially through compliance with ...