Eurovision Song Contest organisers have finally spoken out after several acts complained of a ‘horrible’ atmosphere backstage.
The 2024 competition was uncomfortable at best with tensions mounting between artists and fans over the inclusion of Israel act Eden Golan given the ongoing conflict in Gaza which has so far claimed over 35,000 lives.
Subsequently, host city Malmo in Sweden was drenched in protests which were only exasperated by the ban of the Palestinian and European Union flags.
On Friday, the day before the live final, the disqualification of Netherlands act Joost Klein caused further outrage after he was accused of intimidating behaviour by a female production crew member.
Ireland’s Bambie Thug and Italy’s Angelina Mango were among the contestants who hit out at the tension behind-the-scenes.
The European Broadcasting Union responded to the complaints lodged by several artists, admitting they ‘regret’ that ‘delegations didn’t respect the spirit of the rules’.
In a statement, they said: ‘We spoke to a number of delegations during the event regarding various issues that were brought to our attention.
‘The EBU’s governing bodies will, together with the heads of delegations, review the events surrounding the ESC in Malmö to move forward in a positive way and to ensure the values of the event are respected by everyone.’
The Eurovision viewing figures plummeted in comparison to the 2023 ratings when the contest was held in Liverpool with many fans fulfilling their promise to boycott the show altogether.
According to agency Digital.i, the 2024 spectacle was watched by an average of 7.64 million viewers, peaking at 8.36 million.
That’s quite the drop compared to the year before when at its peak 11 million people tuned in to watch the ceremony being hosted in the UK for the first time in 25 years.
The UK entry Olly Alexander received nil points from the public vote on the night but was spared the total embarrassment of ending up in last place after receiving 46 points from the jury and ending up 18th out of 25 acts.
Switzerland’s Nemo was crowned winner on the night with their song The Code beating Croatia’s Baby Lasagna and their song Rim Tim Tagi Dim into second place.
