Earlier in the week we reported that the EBU representatives met with representatives from the Israeli Broadcaster KAN/IPBC to discuss the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest which will be held in Israel. At that time, three cities were in the running, but now we know that Eilat has been ruled out.
Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest, Jon Ola Sand had previously stated that he was open to different options for hosting, including a proposal from the city of Eilat to construct a venue for the contest, however now he has stated that the offer had to be declined as it failed to meet the requirements.
The city had proposed two options for the contest, with the first being a construction on the waterfront at the Port of Eilat which would be between two existing hangars. It was expected that the capacity would have been 10,000. The other plan was to utilise the Ice Mall, which would have seen the existing tenants vacate the mall for 7,500 seats to be constructed with a stage and other areas for the contest.
This leaves two options available, which are the nation’s capital Jerusalem as well as Tel Aviv. Both are viable options, however the host city and venue must be approved by the Reference Group who are the governing body of the contest representing the participating broadcasters.
More news regarding the host city announcement is expected in the next few weeks, so stay tuned!