After football, music.
While UEFA chose to move the Champions League final from Saint Petersburg to the Stade de France, Eurovision, another international competition, also took a stand against the war in Ukraine.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), organizer of the singing competition, announced this Friday, February 25 at the end of the afternoon, that Russia would be excluded this year from the event to be held in Turin ( Italy), on Saturday May 14.
“The EBU Board has taken this decision following a recommendation made earlier today by the governing body of the Eurovision Song Contest, based on the rules of the event and the values of the European Broadcasting Union, it announced in an official press release.
The decision reflects concerns that, in light of the unprecedented crisis in Ukraine, the presence of a Russian entry in this year's contest could discredit the competition.
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Statement from @EBU_HQ regarding Russia's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022.https://t.co/HmKJdqVE4J pic.twitter.com/tVH6yFxzbq
— Eurovision Song Contest (@Eurovision) February 25, 2022
Maintaining the artist would have been untenable under these conditions.
Already, fans had planned to whistle his passage and Finland had threatened to leave the contest if Russia participated.
The EBU, which defines itself in the same press release as "an apolitical organization committed to defending the values of public service", claims to have "taken the time to consult its members widely".
Before adding:
“We remain determined to protect the values of a cultural competition that promotes exchanges and international understanding, brings audiences together, celebrates diversity through music and unites Europe on the same stage.
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"It's a competition that celebrates peace"
A decision taken after an imbroglio, since, earlier in the day, the same organization had first assured that Russia was maintained following a complaint from the Ukrainian public channel.
Its candidate, like that of France who will be chosen on March 5, had not yet been designated.
“It's a very good thing that Russia is excluded because the singing competition was created in 1956 to heal the wounds of the Second World War, rejoices Benoît Blaszczyk, secretary of the French Eurofans office.
It is a competition that celebrates the peace of peoples, it is quite normal that Russia, an aggressor state, is not there.
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Huge thoughts to #Ukraine and the Ukrainian people on this day!
Kyiv, Saturday May 13, 2017, Maidan@Eurovision @jamala @EurovisionF2 @EBU_HQ pic.twitter.com/pZF8vsGl6X
— Benoît BLASZCZYK (@Benwanet) February 24, 2022
The faithful of the contest also and especially thinks of the Ukrainians.
“In 2017, I was in Kiev for the final, it hurts me to see the city in this state.
This evening, I have a special thought for the singer Jamala.
She had won the competition in 2016 with a song in tribute to her grandmother who had already suffered the Russian occupation in 1944.
As a reminder, Ukraine has won Eurovision twice, a first with Ruslana in 2004, then in 2016. Russia only won once in 2008 thanks to singer Dima Bilan.
On the French side, neither the committee nor France Télévisions wished to comment on this decision.
