Six Ukrainian cities are to compete to host the 2017 Eurovision song contest, Ukrainian state television officials have announced.
The National Television
Company of Ukraine (NTU) said that Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, Odesa, Kharkiv and
Kherson had officially applied to host the international song contest.
The deadline for the
submission of bids to host the contest is July 8.
The six contenders have already been issued with a list of requirements and
signed non-disclosure agreements
However, none of the cities currently have a suitable arena to host next year’s
Eurovision, according to Ukrainian Culture Minister Yevhen Nyshchuk.
In an interview with Ukraine’s Fifth Channel, he said the nation didn’t “really
have any place that would meet the international requirements.”
The criteria outlined by Ukraine’s national broadcaster stipulate that to be
eligible, a city should have an enclosed arena that can host at least 7,000 –
but preferably 10,000 – spectators.
It should also have an international press centre that would accommodate at
least 1,550 journalists and submit proposals for a 3,000-person venue to host
the welcoming reception.
Preference will be given to cities with official hotels, good transport
connections, and an international airport.
Olympiysky National Sports Complex has been previously flagged as potential
venue but it currently has no roof.
Nyshchuk has reportedly said that an arena could be built in Kyiv or Lviv.
In response to Nyshchuk’s comments, head of the NTU Zurab Alasania said that
Kyiv alone has offered three existing venues that could be used.
He said other cities also had ideas for potential venues.
However Alasania said that now the cities know what criteria they need to meet,
their proposals could change, and some may even drop out of the competition.
“They might feel like they’re not going to be able to meet the requirements,”
he said.
Alasania stated that the selection process would be open and transparent. The
selection process will have four stages, with the winner to be announced on
August 1.
“It will all depend on what the cities come up with, not only for the actual
Eurovision but also around it, because (the event lasts) a whole month,” he
said.
Nyshchuk previously estimated the cost of hosting Eurovision to be at least
14.5 million euros, with funding expected to come from a number of sources,
including sponsors, the European Broadcasting Union and potentially the host
city.
Speaking with Kyiv Post, Alasania said he hoped the song contest would show
Ukraine in a new light.
“The world will remember Ukraine,” he said.
“At the moment the world, especially Europe, is tired of Ukrainian topics, as
the topics Ukraine puts out internationally are serious and they’re negative.
“This will be a positive topic, and the world will remember Ukraine again and
remember it in a positive context. “
He said the song contest would bring tourism and much needed investment into
the country.
“And for us as Ukrainians, it’s important to feel something good, that (our)
country can do something,” he said.
“Not just to fight and resist but also … to be wanted by the world, and be
beautiful.”
Ukraine was designated as next year’s Eurovision host after Ukrainian entrant Jamala
won this year’s contest in May with her song “1944.”
Preliminary dates for Eurovision 2017 have been announced as May 9, 2017 (first
semi-final), May 11 (second semi-final), and May 13 (grand final), but these will
only be confirmed once the host city has been announced.
