Iceland's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö, Sweden is now uncertain.
The Icelandic broadcaster, RÚV, announced today that the final decision on whether Iceland will compete in Malmö will be made in consultation with the winner of Söngvakeppnin 2024.
The Icelandic national final 'Söngvakeppnin', which has been running since 1981 and from 1986 was used to select Iceland's Eurovision representative, is no longer guaranteed to serve as Iceland’s selection process for Eurovision. However 'Söngvakeppnin' is still set to take place in February and March.
The reason behind this decision is the due to the ongoing situation in Israel and Gaza, along with concerns raised by people in Iceland regarding Israel’s involvement in the Contest.
Stefán Eiríksson, the Director-General of RÚV, confirmed these concerns today during an appearance on 'Síðdegisútvárp', an Icelandic radio channel. He also revealed that RÚV has communicated these issues to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). He stressed that artists who are set to compete in 'Söngvakeppnin' are concerned:
"They [the contestants] apply with the goal of becoming Iceland’s contribution to Eurovision. They are concerned about the state of affairs just like we are. This has been our preparation for Eurovision and we have announced that we intend to participate in Eurovision without any changes, but we do not know what the future holds."
Therefore, it has been decided not to take a final decision on participation at Eurovision 2024 until there has been consultation with the winner of 'Söngvakeppnin', which will not happen until after March 2, after the Final.
The artists and songs for Söngvakeppnin 2024 will be revealed on January 27. The competition will have two semi-finals held on February 17 and 24 at Truenorth Studio, and the Final on March 2 at Laugardalshöll. All shows are located in Reykjavík.
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