As the days pass by since the conclusion of Eurovision 2023, we look into Junior Eurovision 2023, which will take place in ‘Nice’ in six months time. With an exciting time ahead, some countries have revealed they unfortunately will not be joining the party, with reigning Eurovision champions Sweden being the next country to reveal this.
No reason revealed for non-participation
SVT has not given any reason as to why they will not be participating in this year’s competition. The confirmation of their non-participation would mean that Sweden will not be participating for the 9th year in a row. Their last participation was in 2014, when the contest took place in Malta.
SVT’s non participation also means that it is the first time since 2015 (when Sweden last won Eurovision), when the winning nation that won Eurovision will not be competing at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest.
About Junior Eurovision 2023
Junior Eurovision 2023 landed in ‘Nice’ after France won the competition for a second time in Yerevan, where its 2022 representative Lissandro won the competition with “Oh Maman”. This year’s competition will take place on the 26th of November at 16:00CET in Nice, at the Palais Nikaïa in Nice, which can accomodate up to 9,000 spectators.
At the time of writing the following countries have been confirmed for this year’s contest:
- 🇫🇷 France (Host Country)
- 🇬🇪 Georgia
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- 🇮🇪 Ireland
- 🇮🇹 Italy
- 🇲🇹 Malta
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands
- 🇲🇰 North Macedonia
- 🇵🇱 Poland
- 🇪🇸 Spain
- 🇺🇦 Ukraine
Sweden’s Junior Eurovision Journey
Sweden first took part in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in its inaugural year, being represented by The Honeypies and their song “Stoppa mig!” in Copenhagen. Sweden finished 15th in a field of 16, earning a total of 12 points. Since then, Sweden has participated a total of 11 times, with their most successful attempt coming in 2006. Molly Sandén represented Sweden in Bucharest and finished in 3rd place with her song “Det finaste någon kan få”.
Sweden last took part in the Contest in 2014, and was represented by Julia Kedhammar and her song “Du är inte ensam”. Performing seventh in the running order, Sweden finished in 13th place with a total of 28 points. Following this, Sweden withdrew from the Contest and has not returned to the competition since.
Do you think Sweden should participate at Junior Eurovision once again? Are you excited for Junior Eurovision 2023? Are you hoping to attend the contest in Nice? Let us know in the comments or on social media. Be sure to follow That Eurovision Site on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
News Source: ESCPlus ES
Photo Credit: EBU
Georgia Garnett 
Michelle C