"The show will not suffer in any way, said ORF's director general Roland Weissmann, adding that those pulling out still had until mid-December to change their minds. Overall, it would of course be a financial burden if several countries didn't participate, but we had already taken this into account and this mainly affects the EBU, which has already factored this into its budget, Weissmann said. I don't see this being a problem in Vienna and even if there is a bit less, we'll be able to compensate for it."
"Germany's foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, said he welcomed the decision, saying the Israel traditionally belonged in the song contest. The Christian Democrat politician urged the boycotting nations to rethink their stance, saying: Culture should always have something that connects people [] this forum should not be used as a place for dealing with political differences."
"Even though Spain is among the big five nations in terms of financial contributions to Eurovision, Austrian broadcaster ORF said the 2026 event would go ahead in May as planned."
Austria confirmed plans to host Eurovision 2026 in Vienna despite four national broadcasters boycotting over Israel's participation and the war in Gaza. Broadcasters from Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands declined to broadcast the semi-finals and finals and will not field entrants. The European Broadcasting Union approved Israel's participation at a Geneva meeting and did not hold a vote on the issue, instead voting only on new rules. ORF stated the May 2026 event will proceed and said the EBU has already factored potential financial shortfalls into its budget. Germany urged the boycotting nations to reconsider.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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