Bad news for all fans of Eurovision. Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus, this year’s Eurovision set to occur in Rotterdam has been cancelled.
The decision was recently announced by the organization for European Public Broadcasters (EBU), as reported by NOS.
Rescheduled for (probably) 2021
If there is some good news, it is that while the edition for this year has been cancelled, it will still happen in Rotterdam, probably in 2021. The broadcasters warn, however, that given the current situation, they cannot give any promises on the exact date when Eurovision will occur.
NOS, NPO and AVROTROS, the tree main organizing broadcasting companies of Eurovision, say they understand the decision, and that difficult yet necessary choices need to be made in order to contain the virus.
Sietse Bakker, the main producer of the event, understands that people will be upset over the decision, but asks for perspective given the current situation and the necessity of these actions.
The EBU, other involved broadcasting companies and the Rotterdam municipality nevertheless stress the fact that while Eurovision has been cancelled this year, it will still happen in Rotterdam, as soon as it is possible.
EURO 2020 also cancelled
Football fans have also had some bad news, as the EURO 2020 football championship, set to happen in the UK, has also been cancelled due to the coronavirus. UEFA has announced that they have postponed the world-renowned football event until next summer, 2021.
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