Another country confirms Eurovision Song Contest boycott: “We will not be broadcasting”

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Like Ireland and Spain, another European nation has announced it won’t air this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. These decisions are happening because Israel is still competing in the event.

Last year, Slovenia’s public television announced they wouldn’t submit a song to the competition, and now they’ve also decided not to broadcast the show within the country.

Ksenija Horvat, director of RTV Slovenia, announced to the Associated Press (as reported by the Guardian) that the network will not broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest this year. Instead, they will be showing a series of Palestinian documentaries and films called “Voices of Palestine.”

Last year, Klemen Slakonja represented the country with his song, ‘How Much Time Do We Have Left’, which he both wrote and performed.

Ireland’s RTÉ announced in late 2025 they wouldn’t be broadcasting or taking part in Eurovision, and Spain’s RTVE confirmed the same last week. This is the first time since 1961 that Spain won’t be showing the contest.

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Even though they won’t be competing, broadcasters in the Netherlands and Iceland still plan to air the event, as a protest against Israel’s participation.

Eurovision will celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2026 with events held in Vienna, Austria. This follows Austria’s victory in the 2025 competition. The semi-finals are scheduled for May 12th and 14th, leading up to the grand final on May 16th.

Following recent discussions, Nemo, the winner of the 2024 competition representing Switzerland with the song ‘The Code’, has returned their winning trophy.

I still can’t believe I won Eurovision last year and got to take home the trophy! I posted on Instagram in December saying how incredibly thankful I am for everyone involved with the contest – the fans, the team, everyone. It’s been such an amazing experience, and I’ve learned so much about myself, both as a person and as an artist.

They stated they no longer want to keep the trophy, explaining that Israel’s continued involvement in the competition, while the UN is investigating potential genocide, clashes with the values the competition claims to uphold.

They emphasized this isn’t a matter of specific people or performers. The competition has been consistently used to improve the reputation of a country facing serious accusations, despite the European Broadcasting Union maintaining that Eurovision is apolitical.

As a huge Eurovision fan, I was following all the drama last year. The rules were updated to try and stop countries or outside groups from unfairly pushing certain songs. Once everyone agreed to the changes, the planned vote on whether Israel could compete never happened, which unfortunately led to a few countries deciding to pull out of the contest altogether. It was a really messy situation!

The United Kingdom is still involved, and will be represented by Look Mum No Computer.

The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will culminate in the Grand Final on Saturday, May 16th. The Semi-Finals will be broadcast live on Tuesday, May 12th, and Thursday, May 14th. You can watch the shows on BBC One and iPlayer, and listen on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds.

The latest issue of Living Legends is now available! This special 100-page, full-color magazine celebrates the life and work of Sir David Attenborough. You can find it at newsstands or order it online.

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2026-04-23 23:49