AVROTROS says escalating international conflicts are undermining the event\u2019s neutrality and fuelling divisions.<\/p>\n
Published On 24 Aug 202624 Aug 2026<\/p>\n
The public broadcaster in the Netherlands has announced it will not participate in next year\u2019s Eurovision Song Contest because the event can \u201cno longer be considered neutral\u201d due to ongoing divisions over the war in Gaza.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is undeniable that international conflicts are increasingly affecting the Contest, undermining its neutral character. The Eurovision Song Contest has therefore become a platform for division,\u201d said Taco Zimmerman, Director-General of AVROTROS, in a statement on Monday.<\/p>\n
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The widely-watched show has recently faced a series of boycotts over Israel\u2019s participation. Organisers announced<\/a> earlier this month that they would exclude any country involved in an armed conflict from hosting the competition.<\/p>\n \u201cHowever, the recently announced changes\u2026 do not provide sufficient confidence that the independent and neutral character of the Eurovision Song Contest has been restored,\u201d the AVROTROS statement added.<\/p>\n Israel finished second in the competition \u2013 the world\u2019s largest live televised music event \u2013 in both 2025 and 2026.<\/p>\n Next year\u2019s Eurovision is due to be held in Bulgaria\u2019s Black Sea city of Burgas, after Bulgarian singer Darina Yotova, known as Dara, won this year\u2019s contest<\/a> in Vienna, Austria, with her catchy floor-filler \u2018Bangaranga\u2019. The contest on May 15 will be the first time the Balkan nation has hosted.<\/p>\n Since its launch in 1955, Eurovision has become the ultimate pop platform, catapulting Swedish icons ABBA to worldwide fame, while also boosting the careers of artists such as Celine Dion, Cliff Richard and Olivia Newton-John.<\/p>\n