Norway’s Head of Delegation believes the EBU has “quite a job” to repair the Eurovision brand after a turbulent year for the contest.
Stig Karlsen made the comments to The Euro Trip just hours after this year’s Grand Final.
Click to read this story at a glance…
- Stig Karlsen, Norway’s Head of Delegation, criticised the Eurovision Song Contest’s current state, saying that the EBU has significant work to do to restore the contest’s reputation
- This year’s Eurovision was plagued by controversies, including Israel’s contentious inclusion and the last-minute disqualification of Dutch singer Joost Klein
- Karlsen emphasised the need for a cooling-off period before evaluating the situation and stressed the importance of addressing issues both in Eurovision and national selections to rebuild the brand’s integrity
“I’m sad for the fact that Eurovision hasn’t been what it should be.
“It’s about getting together, celebrating live music, and diversity.
“It’s dividing us more than I’d like to say.
“It’s a very special year and I think the EBU has quite a job to build the brand up again because now it’s not very good.”
This year’s contest was marred by controversy surrounding the contentious inclusion of Israel in the competition despite its involvement in a conflict against Hamas-led forces in the Middle East.
The last-minute disqualification of Joost Klein from the Netherlands also overshadowed Grand Final day itself.
The Dutch singer was dumped out of this year’s contest by the EBU after a complaint was made by a female member of the production crew.
Contest organisers decided that “it would not be appropriate” for Klein to continue in the competition while Swedish police investigated the matter.
Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS took issue with Klein’s disqualification, calling it “disproportionate”.
Hours before the Grand Final it released a lengthier statement, describing Klein’s behaviour as a “threatening movement” towards a camerawoman who was filming him despite “clearly made agreements” for him not to be on camera after he came off the stage.
Asked if he was disappointed in the way the EBU handled the events of Eurovision week, Karlsen said: “It’s important that we get some rest, that we get our temperature down and cool off a little.
“Then we can start to evaluate with them [EBU].
“We have to talk about stuff in Norway about our national selection because it has hurt the brand a lot. It doesn’t just hurt Eurovision, it hurts the national selections because they’re so connected.
If we keep believing in love and music, and celebrating life, I’m sure Eurovision will get back on track. But there’s a lot of work to be done.”
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