Iceland becomes the fifth country to boycott the Eurovision Song Contest.

Iceland's national broadcaster announced on December 10th that it will boycott next year's Eurovision Song Contest due to disagreements over Israel's participation.

Previously, broadcasters in Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Slovenia had informed the competition organizers, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), that they would not participate in the competition in Vienna next May after the organizers allowed Israel to participate.

Dutch television argued that Israel's participation was no longer appropriate. Meanwhile, Spanish broadcaster RTVE stated that the situation in Gaza and Israel's use of Eurovision for political purposes made it increasingly difficult for the competition to maintain neutrality.

The board of directors of RÚV Iceland met on December 10 to make a decision.

"The Music Competition and Eurovision have always aimed to unite the Icelandic people, but it is now clear that this goal cannot be achieved, and this decision was made based on reasons related to the program," the broadcaster said.

Last week, the general assembly of the EBU – a group of public broadcasters from 56 countries that run Eurovision – met to discuss concerns related to Israel's participation, but no action was taken to exclude any broadcaster from the competition.

The broadcasters who withdrew included some of the biggest names in the Eurovision world . Spain was one of the “Big Five” countries with a large market that contributed the most to the competition. Ireland had won the championship seven times.

Iceland, a volcanic island nation in the North Atlantic with a population of 360,000, has never won a championship but has the highest per capita television viewership of all countries.

The contestants' withdrawal has cast a dark shadow over the future of a cultural festival that was supposed to be fun, friendly, and competitive, dealing a heavy blow to fans, broadcasters, and the competition's finances.

The controversy surrounding Israel's participation also overshadowed the return of Bulgaria, Moldova, and Romania after a period of absence due to financial difficulties and other issues.

The competition, which will celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2026, has always strived to put music above politics, but has often been caught up in world events. Russia was disqualified from the competition in 2022 due to its military campaign in Ukraine.

The competition was also affected by the war in Gaza over the past two years, which triggered protests outside the venues.

Opponents of Israel's involvement cite the war in Gaza, where more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed.

The Israeli government has repeatedly emphasized that its campaign is aimed at self-defense against an attack by Hamas-led militants on October 7, 2023.

December 10th was the deadline for national broadcasters to announce whether they planned to participate.

More than two dozen countries have confirmed their participation in the competition in Vienna, and the EBU says the final list of participating countries will be announced before Christmas.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/iceland-tro-thanh-quoc-gia-thu-5-tay-chay-cuoc-thi-eurovision-song-post1082361.vnp