The organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest have confirmed that this year's competition has been formally cancelled as the coronavirus crisis continues to sweep across the continent.
Rotterdam had been due to stage the event in May following Duncan Laurence's triumph for the Netherlands in Tel Aviv last year, with 41 countries in line to compete for this year's title.
In a statement today, however, organisers confirmed that the decision had been taken to axe this year's competition for the first time in its 64-year history.
"Over the past few weeks, we have explored many alternative options to allow the Eurovision Song Contest to go ahead," the statement said.
"However, the uncertainty created by the spread of COVID-19 throughout Europe – and the restrictions put in place by the governments of the participating broadcasters and the Dutch authorities - means the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has taken the difficult decision to not continue with the live event as planned.
"The health of artists, staff, fans and visitors, as well as the situation in the Netherlands, Europe and the world, is at the heart of this decision."
The EBU have already begun talks about the possibility of Rotterdam remaining as the host city for next year's contest - although due to current competition rules, songs that had already been selected for this year are not eligible to be resubmitted in 2021.
Among the favourites this year was Iceland with Dadi og Gagnamid's 'Think About Things' - watch below:
Neil Wilkes
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