Eurovision confirms investigations are underway following a flood of complaints about this year’s acts

Eurovision Officials have confirmed that an independent investigation is currently underway following numerous complaints from artists participating in this year’s event.

Last month, the Eurovision Song Contest took place in Malmö amid a wave of controversy, with some fans even boycotting the event due to IsraelThe company’s continued competitive presence despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Several incidents were reported prior to the event, including Complaints from several competitors to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) about the conduct of the members of the Israeli delegation towards representatives of other countries.

This included the Dutch singer Joost, who apparently complained at least once about an “unsafe environment” behind the scenes. He was later excluded from the competition following an incident involving a member of the production team.

Eurovision fansite Wiwibloggs reported that at least 13 official complaints were received during this year’s contest, requiring an external investigation.

A spokesman for the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which co-organizes the annual song contest, said on Tuesday evening: “To further strengthen the Eurovision Song Contest, we have asked an independent expert to look at the 2024 ESC in Malmö.”

They added that they hoped this investigation would “share insights and lessons with the EBU governing bodies” to “support the continuous improvement of this global event”.

Following this year’s contest, an EBU representative said in a statement: “We regret that some delegations at the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Malmö did not respect the spirit of the rules and the competition, both on site and during their broadcasts. We spoke to several delegations during the event about various issues that were brought to our attention.

“The EBU governing bodies, together with the Heads of Delegation, will review the events surrounding the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö in order to move forward positively and ensure that the values ​​of the event are respected by all.

“Individual cases will be discussed by the governing body of the event, the Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group, which is composed of representatives of the participating broadcasters, at its next meeting.”

This year’s winner, the Swiss representative Nemo, was also critical of the competition after being crowned this year’s champions (becoming the first non-binary winners in the history of the Eurovision Song Contest).

After apparently breaking the Eurovision trophy on stage during the victory celebration, Nemo later told reporters: “The trophy can be repaired – maybe the Eurovision Song Contest needs a little repair from time to time too.”

Nemo went on to say that her Eurovision experience was “really intense” and “not only pleasant throughout”, but stressed that “at the same time there was so much love involved”.

MORE EUROVISION NEWS: