UKRAINE have been crowned Eurovision Song Contest champions 2022 after winning the hearts of the European public.
Kalush Orchestra overwhelming won the public support to be crowned Eurovision winners and per tradition Ukraine are in line to host Eurovision 2023.
However, as Ukraine are currently at war after the Russian invasion this may not be possible.
Kalush Orchestra rapper Oleh Psiuk said ahead of the event: “Eurovision next year will be in the free home and reconstructed and rebuilt and happy Ukraine.”
If Ukraine is unable to host, another country, likely one of the “big five” Eurovision countries of France, Germany, Italy, Spain and UK, will host the event.
Eurovision fans around the world agreed it was likely the UK should host next after Sam Ryder’s historic finish in second place.
“If ukraine cant be the host, does that mean we all have to make a UK visa #eurovision2023?” asked one fan on Twitter.
Another added: “We, the UK, should offer to host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of the Ukrainian people to show solidarity and support them.”
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And a third wrote: “UK hosting #Eurovision would be a THRILL & if anyone needs to step in, UK(raine) looks great on paper BUT if next year Ukraine have peace, safety & resources to host, that will be an incredibly positive thing that we should support & hope for!”
Of the UK potentially hosting next year Kalush Orchestra’s Oleh said: “Well, yes, it’s true that UK supports us a lot.
“The huge gratitude to the UK, of course, from all of the residents of this country to you.
“Lots of Ukrainians are expressing a very huge gratitude to your country as well.”
Spain, one of the “big five,” has reportedly offered to host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest.
The Mayor of Stockholm is also reported to have offered to host the event on behalf of Ukraine.
In Eurovision’s history, there have been several instances where a previous year’s winner didn’t host the contest.
The last time this happened was in 1980.
The UK has stepped up as a replacement host on four separate occasions.
The Ukrainian rap group formed in 2019, was not the first choice for Ukraine at Eurovision as they placed second in the nation’s selection process, losing out to Alina Pash.
However, they were offered first prize in February after news broke out that Pash had travelled to the annexed region of Crimea.
The group performed the song Stefania which was written by Oleh to honour his mother.
The song talks about how much his mother has aged and the hardships she faced.
However, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the words now have a new meaning.
Speaking to Eurovision they said: “We feel a big responsibility since we received permits to leave Ukraine to be here. We have a duty to be useful to our country at this moment.
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“We didn’t have any opportunity to rehearse together for a long time, but now, we’ve gone into ‘extra mode’. We’re all very hard-working, and we’re all doing what we can to make this happen.”
They added: “We’ve enjoyed seeing people singing our song, even if they didn’t know all the words. We really appreciate seeing people supporting Ukraine, and supporting us.”
