Scandal Hit Ukraine’s Eurovision 2022

The rap group Kalush Orchestra has become the new representative of Ukraine at the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest 2022. This was reported by representatives of the team on social networks. However, artists from the Ukrainian group Kalush took second place in the national selection, despite the leadership in the audience voting. Instead, the organizers preferred the singer Alina Pash, but it soon became clear that the performer visited Crimea after it became a part of Russia. Because of this, Ukraine could be accused of politicizing the competition and removed from participation. Therefore, Pash had to withdraw her candidacy. In this article, we will tell how a massive scandal hit Ukraine’s Eurovision 2022.

National Selection

Ukraine hosted the National Selection for Eurovision 2022, which ended in a scandal. As a result, the singer Alina Pash would go to Italy to sing the patriotic song “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors” at the preselection. However, not everyone agreed with the jury’s choice. Indeed, the negative comments abounded on social media. Besides, the audience accused the organizers of the selection of falsifying the real results. The winner Alina Pash went hand in hand with her competitors – the Kalush Orchestra group. In the end, the presenters began to announce the winners. However, there were technical problems and it turned out that the points, as they were told, were counted incorrectly. As a result, the table disappeared from the screens and the presenters read new scores orally, constantly changing the result. 

Finally, they named the winner, but the table did not appear. No one knew who got how many points. According to the results of the audience voting, Kalush Orchestra won, but Alina Pash scored more points from the jury and won by 1 point. After the selection, the leader of the Kalush Orchestra went to deal with the chairmen of the jury. Indeed, Kalush demanded to see a leaflet with the results of the vote, because he had questions. On Instagram, the artist also said that he would deal with the situation. Social networks have already begun to shoot parody videos: “Who got six points, raise your hand.”

“Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors” is a song that many compare to the song of the Eurovision winner Jamala. On stage, Alina Pash first sings about the Ukrainian people and their hard fate, reads a proud speech in English, and ends with a map of Ukraine along with Crimea. Later the scandal hit Ukraine’s Eurovision that even online sportsbooks in Ukraine couldn’t predict.

Scandal hit Ukraine’s Eurovision: Broken Rules

The rules of the national selection for Eurovision suggest that its participants should not give concerts or participate in any public or private events in Russia and in the territories occupied by Russia in the period after March 15, 2014, if this happened in violation of Ukrainian law. To prove the legality of the trip, you need to provide a certificate from the Border Guard Service, which confirms that the contestant entered Crimea from Ukrainian territory, and not from Russia. In 2019, Alina Pash gave an interview, in which she confirmed that she flew to Crimea through Russia. Indeed, supposedly then she had no choice. Unfortunately, this became the main argument for accusing the singer of violating the law. Now Pash, commenting on her old interview, said that she then “answered in general” and “did not say that she flew.”

The media also found a post by the singer on Facebook dated August 12, 2015. There she wrote that she flew to Crimea, as well as her photo on Red Square from 2017. Commenting on her photo on Red Square, Pash said that it was “a prank that was not understood.” And the false impression that she flew to Crimea from Moscow was formed by many because she put the Yalta geotag in her post.

In 2019, Pash was included in the Peacemaker database – a site that investigates crimes against the foundations of Ukraine’s national security. They accused her of deliberately violating the state border of Ukraine to penetrate the occupied Crimea. No one could predict that the singing contest would turn into a political dispute. Besides, Pash had very high odds for winning Eurovision in 1XBET Sportsbook. Learn more about Eurovision 2022 Winter Betting Predictions.

Unfortunate Outcome

But here the flow of hatred can no longer be stopped: a picket was held against her candidacy at the Center for Culture and Art of NAU. Indeed, a whole army formed demanding to cancel the results of the national selection and instead of Alina Pash send Kalush Orchestra to Eurovision 2022 or even re-hold the national selection. The bad aftertaste of the country’s main musical event raises too many questions:

• how could such an unfortunate “editor’s mistake” happen when the grades were voiced into the presenter’s earpiece;
• why for the entire time the results were announced, the sign did not appear on the screens of the audience, correcting the scores is not such a difficult task in a couple of clicks;

• why the Kalush Orchestra group never got the “ominous card” for audience sympathy;
• how is it possible to repeat the same mistake during the national selection, not carefully checking the potential representatives of Ukraine at Eurovision? And, if there are already prerequisites for a scandal, to explain on the eve of the “explosion” in society whether there has been a violation?

It is not yet entirely clear how this Eurovision story will end in Ukraine. However, fans would like so much that the bitter experience of 2022 in holding the finals of the national selection would be taken into account for the future. It is very painful to watch how the musical extravaganza turns into another reason for the scandal. Online sportsbooks in Ukraine agree on this.

Kalush Orchestra and How Scandal Hit Ukraine’s Eurovision

The Kalush Orchestra will represent Ukraine at the Eurovision 2022 music contest. In their Instagram account, the musicians confirmed that they will go to the festival this year. “We see and feel your support all the time. Visual voting proved this – 1st place from the people! It is a great honor for us to represent our state! We promise that we will not let you down, ”the team’s publication says.

The fact that the Kalush Orchestra is going to the competition instead of Alina Pash became obvious on February 17. This decision was made at an extraordinary meeting of the Organizing Committee of the national selection for participation in Eurovision.

The day before, Alina Pash announced that she was withdrawing her candidacy to represent Ukraine in the song contest. “I don’t want this virtual war and hate. The main war now is the external war that came to my country in 2014. I do not want to continue to be in this dirty story, ”she wrote. To stay out of politics and scandals, let’s remember the Cities To Host Eurovision 2022. Do not forget that everyone has a chance to win on 1XBET Sportsbook while predicting the results of this signing contest. Thus, let’s sing and bet together instead of arguing! 

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