The European Broadcasting Union has confirmed that all Belarusian broadcasters part of the union will continue to be excluded until further notice, following the extension of their suspension.
Suspension to last indefinitely
According to information obtained by ESC Discord, it was revealed that the EBU would continue to block Belarusian interaction in the Union. The original suspension of public broadcaster BTRC came in 2021 following ongoing issues surrounding the Belarusian opposition protests.
BTRC’s suspension would be due to end in 2024, theoretically allowing the country to come back to the Contest. However, when asked by ESC Discord on whether BTRC’s ban will be lifted, the EBU reinforced its stance. A spokesperson for the union said:
There is no reason for us to change our position at the current time.
European Broadcasting Union spokesperson
As a result, Belarusian broadcasters will be unable to take part in any Eurovision event for the foreseeable future. Alongside this, they will not be able to obtain rights for certain other shows transmitted on the Eurovision network.
Belarus, along with Russia, have been the latest members to be suspended from the EBU. Following an attempt to enter an overtly political song by Galasy z Mesta in 2021, BTRC was handed a three-year suspension. In 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – and amidst pressure from various broadcasters – the EBU banned Russia from participating. The union went on to permanently suspend Russian broadcasters. However, Channel 1 and VGRTK opted to withdraw from the EBU before the suspension went through.
Belarus’ Eurovision journey
Belarus made their debut in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2004 with Aleksandra and Konstantin singing the song ‘My Galileo’. The pair finished 19th in the semi final with only 10 points. The ex-Soviet nation has had sporadic success in Eurovision, qualifying 6 of the 18 times they have participated in the contest. Belarus’s best result came in 2007 with ‘Work Your Magic’ sung by Dmitry Koldun, he placed 6th in the contest scoring 145 points. In 2020, Belarus were due to be represented by VAL, with the dong ‘Da Vidna’; however this could not happen due to the COVID-19 pandemic causing the contest to be cancelled. Belarus has been absent from the contest since 2020 due to political tensions.
What do you make of Belarus’ continued suspension from the EBU? Do you think we will ever see Belarus return to Eurovision? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky for all things Eurovision!
News Source: ESC Discord
Photo Credit: Martin Fjellanger / Eurovision Norway / EuroVisionary
Tim J