Next year's Eurovision Song Contest will be staged in Britain, organizers announced Monday, after concluding it is too risky to hold the much-loved pop extravaganza in the designated host country, Ukraine.
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The UK said the 2023 event would be a celebration of Ukrainian culture and creativity.
Ukraine won the right to host the glitzy pan-continental music competition when its entry, from the folk-rap ensemble Kalush Orchestra, won this year's contest in May. Britain's Sam Ryder was second.
The European Broadcasting Union, which runs Eurovision, said it had concluded that "regrettably, next year's event could not be held in Ukraine for safety and security reasons." It said Britain's BBC had agreed to broadcast the show on behalf of Ukrainian broadcaster UA:PBC.
"The 2023 Eurovision Song Contest will not be in Ukraine but in support of Ukraine," said Mykola Chernotytskyi, head of the managing board of UA:PBC. "We are grateful to our BBC partners for showing solidarity with us."
The fate of the 2023 contest had featured in talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Johnson said the two had agreed that "wherever Eurovision 2023 is held, it must celebrate the country and people of Ukraine."
