EUROVISION'S 30 MOST CONTROVERSIAL MOMENTS. 
Part 6: 1973 (Eurovision Goes Beyond Europe). 
Continues tomorrow.

THE BIGGEST CONTROVERSIES

Of the

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST

(1956 - 2019)  

From its inaugural year, the Eurovision Song Contest has had more than its fair share of controversial moments. This is a special look back on 30 significant upsets in chronological order.

1973

Eurovision Goes Beyond Europe

Some Eurovision purists firmly hold the opinion that the ESC ought to be restricted only to countries within Europe. Depending on how strictly you want to apply that criteria, some nations such as the United Kingdom (now that Brexit is a reality) might no longer be eligible.

In actual fact, eligibility requires being a member of the European Broadcasting Union. This allowed Israel to be welcomed into the Eurovision family in 1973. Illanit became the first performer to sing the Israeli entry. 

The ESC expanded its borders again 4 years later, when Tunisia was due to debut. Scheduled to perform 4^th on the night, the African nation withdrew and has never submitted a bid since then. Morocco became the first (and so far only) African country to compete on the Eurovision stage in 1980. After finishing in 18^th place in a field of 19 participants, Morocco has chosen not to return to the Contest.

Israel therefore, has defied security risks and threats to maintain its presence at Eurovision. The country has won the Contest no less than 4 times, with the most recent triumph taking place in 2018 when Netta won with “Toy”. The ESC was held in Israel for the 3rd time in 2019.

Eurovision cast its net even further in 2015, welcoming a country a considerable distance away from Europe. This addition to the ESC caused yet another upset which will be covered later.