Portugal wins, politics sour Eurovision
KYIV, UKRAINE— The man in the tacky suit and his “gorilla,” favourites to win this year’s Eurovision song contest, lost out to Salvador Sobral, of Portugal, which won the often outlandish song-and-dance competition for the first time on Saturday.
Sobral’s song, “Amar Pelos Dois,” received 785 points in the combined jury and public voting system.
Rounding out the top three were Bulgaria and Moldova.
The contest is aimed at good, apolitical fun. But the sweet intentions were soured for this 62nd edition when Russia’s participation was scuttled by Ukraine, this year’s host, over the two countries’ diplomatic and military conflict.
Russia is one of Eurovision’s heavy hitters, tied with Sweden for the most top-five finishes this century. But this year’s Russian entrant, Yuliya Samoylova, was blocked from competing by Ukraine because she had toured in Crimea after Russia’s 2014 annexation of the peninsula.
Last year’s Ukrainian winner, Jamala, sang about the 1944 forced relocation of Crimean Tatars by Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. In response, Russia’s state-owned Channel 1 television refused to broadcast the contest.
The acrimony is ironic, since Eurovision was founded in 1956 to bring the recently warring countries of Europe together. From its launch with seven countries, Eurovision has grown to include more than 40.
The contest helped launch the careers of Sweden’s ABBA, Céline Dion, who won for Switzerland, and Irish high-steppers Riverdance, the halftime entertainment in 1994.