Germany’s Head of Delegation has spoken publicly about the events of Eurovision 2024 for the first time, describing what happened as “disturbing” and “shocking”.
This year’s contest was marred by chaos and controversy.
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- Germany’s Head of Delegation, Alexandra Wolfslast, described the events of Eurovision 2024 as “disturbing” and “shocking,” noting the unprecedented political tensions that impacted the contest and altered the typically supportive atmosphere among artists
- The contest was marred by controversy, including protests over Israel’s participation, rumoured boycotts by Ireland, Switzerland, and Greece, and the disqualification of the Netherlands’ Joost Klein for threatening a female member of production staff
- Wolfslast expressed concerns about the damage to Eurovision’s brand, echoing similar sentiments from Norway’s Head of Delegation, Stig Karlsen
Israel’s inclusion in the contest in Malmö caused protests and counter-protests, the Netherlands’ Joost Klein was disqualified from the show for threatening a female member of production crew, and the representatives from Ireland, Switzerland and Greece were rumoured to be considering boycotting the competition on the day of the Grand Final.
Speaking exclusively to The Euro Trip as part of The Contest & Me miniseries, Alexandra Wolfslast said: “It was very disturbing.
“We really felt it during the preparations for the Grand Final. It was really shocking to me.
“We knew about all the political stresses going on and it had an impact on the Eurovision Song Contest in a way it never had before.
“Eurovision is always political, even if we say it isn’t. For me, it was very shocking because I always thought the Eurovision Song Contest was always a safe zone.
“I always thought the greatest thing ever is that every country gets along with each other – the artists are respecting each other, cheering for each other. That dramatically changed last year.
“Normally when artists come to the green room, everybody is applauding them and all of sudden, some artists are not applauding other artists – I thought that was really disturbing.
“I really hope that we do whatever we can to make sure this does not happen again. This harmed the brand in my opinion.
“We will not solve the geopolitical situation, that will last and we have to live with it.”
Wolfslast is the second Head of Delegation to say that the Eurovision brand has been damaged by the events of the 2024 contest.
Hours after the Grand Final, Norway’s Stig Karlsen told The Euro Trip: “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.”
Wolfslast was presiding over Germany’s participation in the contest for the fifth time, and saw her country secure its best Eurovision result in six years thanks to Isaak and his song Always On The Run.
The singer bagged 12th place, putting Germany on the left-hand side of the scoreboard for the first time since 2018.
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