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  • Writer's pictureDale Roberts

Who wins the Commonwealth Games of Eurovision?



The multi-sport event that is the Commonwealth Games is currently taking place in Birmingham, England.


The Games are held every four years and attract sportsmen and women from all countries in the Commonwealth, with the vast majority of member nations being territories of the former British Empire (the only exceptions being Rwanda, Mozambique, Togo and Gabon).


The event is known as the "Friendly Games" but the rivalry is strong, particularly between Australia and England.


However, when it comes to Eurovision, who comes out on top in the Commonwealth?


Below is the Top 10 of competing Commonwealth nations based on their highest finish at the Contest:


10. Bahamas: Debbie Cameron - 'Krøller eller ej'

11th place for Denmark in 1981



Debbie Cameron is a Danish-American singer of Bahamian descent who found success in Denmark during the 70s and 80s. She first appeared at Eurovision as a backup singer for Tommy Seebach in 1979 (Seebach placed 6th). She went on to compete in her own right alongside Tommy in 1981, finishing in an unlucky 11th place.



9. Malaysia: Guy Sebastian - 'Tonight Again'

5th place for Australia in 2015



Guy Sebastian finished in an incredible 5th place in Australia's debut at Eurovision in 2015. Guy is Australian, but was born in Malaysia and lived there until he was six-years-old. His father Ivan is Malaysian Indian of Tamil origin.



8. Northern Ireland: Ronnie Carroll and Clodagh Rogers

4th place for the United Kingdom in 1962 and 1963 (Ronnie) and 1971 (Clodagh)



(N.B. Dana from Northern Ireland did win the Contest, but we are being a little strict here and keeping it within the Commonwealth and so only including the artists who competed for the UK and not Ireland.)


Ronnie Carroll, born in Belfast in Northern Ireland, represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1962 with the song ‘Ring-a-Ding Girl’ and in 1963 with the song ‘Say Wonderful Things’. He was the first artist from Northern Ireland ever to appear on the Eurovision stage and finished in 4th place on both occasions.


Clodagh Rogers, born in Warrenpoint in Northern Ireland, represented the United Kingdom at the 1971 Contest held in Dublin with the song ‘Jack in the Box’. She too finished in 4th place.



7. Cyprus: Eleni Foureira - 'Fuego'

2nd place for Cyprus in 2018 (43.3% of total points)



Eleni Foureira competed in 2018 with her song 'Fuego'. She may have finished runner-up at the Contest to 'Toy', but her iconic performance continues to live on as a huge fan favourite.



6. Australia: Dami Im - 'Sound of Silence'

2nd place for Australia in 2016 (51.9% of total points)



Well, only 6th place in this list for Australia (but considering our very short history at Eurovision, this is pretty impressive!). Dami Im made Australia proud by coming runner-up in 2016 with 'Sound of Silence'. Could she return and help us go one place better? We'll just have to wait and see!



5. Malta: Ira Losco - '7th Wonder'

2nd place for Malta in 2002 (59.4% of total points)



20-year-old Ira Losco achieved Malta's highest ever Eurovision placing at the Contest in Tallinn in 2002. She received votes from every other country except one (including three sets of 12 points). Chiara and her song 'Angel' equalled Malta's best placing in 2005, but Ira comes out on top with a higher percentage of total points.



4. Scotland: Lulu - 'Boom Bang-a-Bang'

1st place for United Kingdom in 1969 (12% of total points)



Just missing out on a medal is Scotland with Lulu's winning entry 'Boom Bang-a-Bang' from 1969. This was, of course, the year of the four-way-tie so her entry has gone down in history.


Unfortunately for Scotland the points system was very different back then and her percentage of total points could never match that of modern-day Eurovision.


Hopefully we'll see another Scottish singer competing for the UK soon!



3. Canada: Céline Dion - 'Ne partez pas sans moi'

1st place for Switzerland in 1987 (57.1%)



It seems appropriate for Céline to pip Scotland to a medal, as she won the 1987 Contest with 'Ne partez pas sans moi' by a single point over Scottish singer Scott Fitzgerald, who was competing for the UK.


Canada's global superstar represented Switzerland at Eurovision due to her French Canadian roots and her burgeoning career on the continent at the time.


She would go on to cement her place as an internationally renowned artist shortly afterwards in the 90s and remains an icon to this day.



1. England and Wales: Brotherhood of Man - 'Save Your Kisses For Me'

1st for the United Kingdom (80.3% of total points)



We have our own 1969 situation here - it's a tie!


Brotherhood of Man won the Contest in 1976 and was made up of three English performers (Martin Lee, Lee Sheriden and Sandra Stevens) and one Welsh performer (Nicky Stevens).


Nicky Stevens is from Carmarthen and is the only Welsh national ever to win the Contest.


Although many other English performers have won Eurovision, it's the Brotherhood of Man trio who has the best percentage of points.



So, much to Australia's annoyance, England takes out the win, but we'll take solace in the fact that they have to share the victory with Wales!


We'd also like to give a special shout out to some other Eurovision/Commonwealth Games connections, including Kenya-born Stella Mwangi who competed for Norway in 2011, Fijian-Australian singer Paulini who took part in Australia Decides this year, and South Africa-born Asanda who participated in the UK's national final in 2018.



Have we missed any Commonwealth connections?

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