The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has awarded douze points to the UK.
Britain is officially set to host next year’s Eurovision Song Contest following discussions between the EBU and the BBC in light of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
As is tradition, the country which wins Eurovision will host the following year’s competition. This year’s event took place in Turin, Italy after Italian rock band, Måneskin, claimed victory in 2021 with their song “Zitti e buoni”.
The Kalush Orchestra of Ukraine topped the leaderboard after receiving 439 points—the highest televoting points received in the contest’s history to date. The track, “Stefania”, was sung entirely in Ukrainian and is the first hip-hop song to win Eurovision.
As soon as Ukraine was announced as the winner, speculation began as to where the 2023 competition would be held. The EBU has now confirmed that the next Eurovision Song Contest will not be in the war-torn country as a result of the current situation.
Oleh Psiuk, who is the lead singer of Kalush Orchestra, expressed his sadness at his home country being unable to host, but said, “We, in turn, will make all efforts to help Ukraine win next year as well, so that Eurovision 2024 can take place in a peaceful country.”
The UK, which came second in this year’s competition, will now take over hosting duties. London, Sheffield, and Manchester have already confirmed that they will put in an official bid to be the host city.