Eurovision 2023 to be held in UK on behalf of Ukraine amid ongoing war against Russia

The Eurovision Song Contest organisers were recently in talks with the BBC about the possibility of hosting the upcoming contest in the United Kingdom. This came after Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra emerged victorious in the Eurovision 2022 contest, leaving other countries wondering if the next year's contest would take place in the winning country.

As per a report by Deadline, BBC Director General Tim Davie said that the UK will host the event as Ukraine finds itself in the midst of an ongoing war after the Russian invasion.

Eurovision 2023 to be held in the UK

The UK is all set to host the upcoming Eurovision 2023 on behalf of Ukriane after the UK's Sam Ryder came second after Kalush Orchestra. Although it is a ritual for the winning country to host the following year's contest, the same is not possible this time owing to the Russia-Ukraine war. The European Broadcasting Union announced the news as they mentioned the contest could not be held in Ukraine due to 'safety and security reasons'.

Making the announcement, they said, "Following the decision that, regrettably, next year’s event could not be held in Ukraine for safety and security reasons the EBU explored a number of options with the winning broadcaster. As a result of discussions, the BBC, as runner up in the 2022 Contest, was invited by the EBU to act as Host Broadcaster for the 67th Eurovision Song Contest." 

The host city for the event is yet to be decided and will be determined over the next couple of months. The decision will be taken after a bidding process, which will be launched this week.

Eurovision 2022 winners

Kalush Orchestra won the Eurovision Song Contest for their popular song Stefania. Soon after their win, they auctioned the trophy they received for $900,000 to raise funds for their country's military, in view of the Russian invasion. The President of war-torn Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, earlier pledged that he would ensure the song contest would be held in Mariupol. However, Eurovision 2023 will now be held in the UK, and the city will be announced in the coming months.

Image: Instagram/@eurovision