EUROVISION'S 30 MOST CONTROVERSIAL MOMENTS. 
Part 10: 1986 (Under-Aged Eurovision)
Continues in 2 days.

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.

1986

Eurovision’s Youngest Winner.

By 1986, Belgium had participated in every Eurovision Song Contest and. for 30 years, had gone home empty-handed. No other nation had waited as long. All of the other countries that participated in the inaugural ESC had claimed at least one victory.

The 1986 edition of the Contest was held in Bergen, Norway. Belgium was represented by a young performer named Sandra Kim. She claimed to be aged 15 and the lyrics of her song made mention of it. Her upbeat entry “J’Aime La Vie” attracted 176 points. Kim finished the night ahead of the runner-up Swiss entry (on 140 points). Belgium had finally won at Eurovision!

Following her victory, Kim revealed her actual age: 13. Today, she would be relegated to Junior Eurovision. The current rules require all participants to be at least 16 years of age. This change ensures that Kim will remain in the record books as Eurovision’s youngest winner.

When the teen confessed how old she really was, Swiss TV attempted to have her song disqualified. This would have given the win to Switzerland’s “Pas Pour Moi” which was performed by Daniella Simons. The petition failed, but Belgium has yet to repeat its success in the Contest.