The risk of Russian air strikes and a large number of casualties is too great to organize the Eurovision Song Contest in Kiev next year. That is what organizer EBU tells Sky News† The EBU also says that the event should not be made political.
Tradition dictates that the winning country gets to host the event the following year. Last week it became clear that this time EBU wants to leave the organization to a ander land, possibly the United Kingdom. Ukraine’s culture minister, Oleksandr Tkachenk, among others, opposed this decision by the EBU. According to him, it would send a “strong signal” if his country had been allowed to organize the next edition.
EBU sees it differently and points to the 10,000 people who work on or at the Eurovision Song Contest and another 30,000 fans who attend. “Their well-being is our primary concern. It is therefore critical that decisions regarding such a complex live television event are made by broadcasting professionals and not politicized.”
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