It’s fair to say that the UK didn’t have many friends among the Eurovision community prior to Brexit and you would imagine that those numbers will have dwindled even further since the vote to leave Europe. Pity, then, the UK entry in the annual song contest this year.
Lucie Jones will be the 60th act to represent the UK at the final of the Eurovision Song Contest, singing a pop ballad called Never Give Up On You. It’s probably not the best song this country has produced, but nor is it the worst. It would probably gain enough votes to see it end up comfortably mid-table if originating anywhere else but this is Eurovision, where grudges are remembered and acted upon. Ms Jones, I fear, is in for a very rough evening in Kiev but is at least being allowed to complete unlike the Russian entry, who has been denied permission to travel to Ukraine – who says politics aren’t involved in Eurovision!
Eurovision Contest History
The first Eurovision Song Contest contest took place on 24 May 1956 but only seven nations participated. Those numbers had grown to more than 40 by the end of the 20th century and, as more countries come on board, the European Broadcasting Union has had to introduce semi-finals to ensure they can complete the final show within schedules.
Australia made history when it became the first country from the Oceania region to participate in the contest in 2015, though fellow non-Europeans Morocco and Israel had already beaten them to the punch – the Aussies are available at 33/1 this year.
Italy have won the Eurovision Song Contest twice and it was the country where the idea first originated. Francesco Gabbani singing Occidentali’s Karma has ben all the rage with punters and is now odds-on with all bookmakers to win in Kiev next weekend. Coral are among a few layers holding on to 4/5 but those odds may shorten further once the semi-finals have taken place.
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Coral are also among the bookmakers offering best odds our long-range tip PORTUGAL. This is one country that has never won Eurovision but Amar Pelos Dois by Salvador Sobral is a brilliant entry this year and there is still some appeal in the general 12/1 with most firms offering each-way betting at a quarter the odds for the top four.
Five of the last 10 contests have been won by Scandinavian countries and Sweden looks to have the best chance of that group this year with Robin Bengtsson performing I Can’t Go On.
Eurovision Song Contest 2017 Selected Best Odds
Italy (4/5), Bulgaria (8/1), Sweden (11/1), Portugal (12/1), Armenia (25/1), Australia (33/1), Romania and Azerbaijan (50/1), Belgium and France (66/1), Hungary, Finland, Denmark and Estonia (100/1), Netherlands (125/1), Ireland, Greece, Macedonia and UK (150/1), Poland, Ukraine and Israel (200/1)
