Birmingham City University’s academic Dr Libby Carter (lecturer in Event, Venue and Experience Management) has recently shared her thoughts about how the corona virus could impact the upcominh Eurovision song contest.
She said: “In 11 short weeks Rotterdam is expected to host the 65th Eurovision Song Contest – a contest designed with the intention to bring together different countries within Europe. However, given the outbreak and continuous spread of the coronavirus, questions will be asked about the security of the contest.
“We have seen the impact of the virus on sporting events with the Rugby Six Nations cancelling their matches between Italy and Ireland. Furthermore, Switzerland has just announced a ban on public gatherings, given the risks of contamination in crowds. It could be that fans shouldn’t get too excited yet as there is a likelihood that the Eurovision Song Contest may also be postponed or cancelled. If this is the case there will be huge implications to the economy of the Netherlands, not to mention implications to the huge effort which goes to broadcasting such an event live.
“Given the involvement of broadcasters, it could be that the event may need to consider a more ‘online’ format which would see contestants performing in their own country without a live audience to contain any further spreading. Yet the nature of the competition is to bring together different cultures, a dilemma organisers will need to consider in the next few weeks.”
Jem Girl at the Piano 