Ukrainian Igor Vovkovinskiy passed away

Today, we received the sad news that, at the age of 38, Igor Vovkovinskiy passed away. Vovkovinskiy was featured in the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest when he carried Zlata Ognevich to her place on stage. With the song “Gravity” she came third that year.
Igor Vovkovinskiy was 2.34 meters tall. He originated from Ukraine but studied law in the United States. During the press conference in the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest, he said that he didn’t want to talk about the negative parts of being so tall, as he felt he was happy by the time.
In addition to the Eurovision Song Contest, Igor appeared in the comedy “Hall pass”. He also gained fame by wearing a t-shirt that read “World’s biggest Obama supporter”. In 2007 he was part of a series, “Inside extraordinary humans: the science of gigantism”. In 2010 he played himself in “The dr. Oz show”.


About the reason of his gigantism several stories are going on. It seamed that, because of a tumor, pressing on his pituitary gland, his body made a lot of growth hormones.
Two years ago, it became clear that Vovkovinskiy had heart problems. He passed away on 20 August.

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Weekly Update

It’s time for another weekly Eurovision update. Belgium has officially joined the list of 2026 participants, and Israel intends to take part. The EBU shared a statement after recent discussions. Luxembourg, Austria, and Denmark opened their national selection processes. Meanwhile, two Austrian cities exited the host city race, while two others moved forward with formal bids. Belgium Confirms, Israel Plans to Participate Belgium confirmed its participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. Broadcaster RTBF announced the decision and will later decide how it will choose its entry. The Flemish broadcaster VRT will not be in charge this time, following the usual alternation. source: escspot 📷 EBU/Sarah Bennett Israel also intends to take part. Public broadcaster KAN said preparations are underway for next year’s contest in Austria. Although discussions about Israel’s role in Eurovision have drawn attention recently, KAN made its stance clear. Israel joins over a dozen broadcasters that have already declared their intention to participate.  EBU Responds with Statement after Assembly The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) addressed recent concerns about Eurovision’s direction. During the General Assembly in London, members shared their views on the contest’s growing challenges in a complex global climate. The EBU released a statement afterward, recognizing that participation questions have become more sensitive and complicated. Broadcasters voiced many opinions and expressed support for KAN’s independence, especially under political pressure. To move forward, the EBU brought in a former senior television executive to lead a structured dialogue with its members. This process will include further discussions and a report with recommendations, expected in the autumn. Countries Start Their Search for 2026 Entries In this weekly update we also look at national selections. Several countries have now launched their search for Eurovision 2026 songs. Luxembourg opened its submission platform on 4 July. Songwriters and performers can submit entries online. The national final will take place on 24 January 2026 at the Rockhal Arena. source: RTL Austria also began preparing for next year. Broadcaster ORF opened submissions for artists and songwriters. The submission deadline is 15 September. Last month, ORF hosted a songwriting camp in Vienna. Artists and producers worked together, creating 18 new songs. Some of these songs could be selected internally to represent Austria. source: Merci,Cherie In Denmark, broadcaster DR opened submissions for Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2026. Composers can send in their songs until 2 November. A professional jury will select eight finalists. The national final is set for 14 February 2026 in Frederikshavn. The winner will represent Denmark at Eurovision 2026. source: DR 📷 EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett Vienna and Innsbruck Submit Host Bids The list of potential host cities is getting shorter. Wels and Linz, who planned a joint bid, decided not to move forward. Technical issues and high costs led them to withdraw. Their venue, the TipsArena, didn’t meet key Eurovision requirements. source: OTS At the same time, Vienna and Innsbruck submitted official bids to host the contest. Vienna proposed the Wiener Stadthalle, the same venue it used in 2015. Innsbruck chose the Olympiaworld complex. Both cities confirmed their bids with detailed proposals. ORF, the Austrian broadcaster, will now review the applications. A decision on the 2026 host city is expected by 8 August. That’s all for this weekly update. Stay tuned for another weekly roundup next week as the road to Eurovision 2026 continues! Share

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Martijn

Weekly Update

It’s time for another weekly Eurovision update. Belgium has officially joined the list of 2026 participants, and Israel intends to take part. The EBU shared a statement after recent discussions. Luxembourg, Austria, and Denmark opened their national selection processes. Meanwhile, two Austrian cities exited the host city race, while two others moved forward with formal bids. Belgium Confirms, Israel Plans to Participate Belgium confirmed its participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026. Broadcaster RTBF announced the decision and will later decide how it will choose its entry. The Flemish broadcaster VRT will not be in charge this time, following the usual alternation. source: escspot 📷 EBU/Sarah Bennett Israel also intends to take part. Public broadcaster KAN said preparations are underway for next year’s contest in Austria. Although discussions about Israel’s role in Eurovision have drawn attention recently, KAN made its stance clear. Israel joins over a dozen broadcasters that have already declared their intention to participate.  EBU Responds with Statement after Assembly The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) addressed recent concerns about Eurovision’s direction. During the General Assembly in London, members shared their views on the contest’s growing challenges in a complex global climate. The EBU released a statement afterward, recognizing that participation questions have become more sensitive and complicated. Broadcasters voiced many opinions and expressed support for KAN’s independence, especially under political pressure. To move forward, the EBU brought in a former senior television executive to lead a structured dialogue with its members. This process will include further discussions and a report with recommendations, expected in the autumn. Countries Start Their Search for 2026 Entries In this weekly update we also look at national selections. Several countries have now launched their search for Eurovision 2026 songs. Luxembourg opened its submission platform on 4 July. Songwriters and performers can submit entries online. The national final will take place on 24 January 2026 at the Rockhal Arena. source: RTL Austria also began preparing for next year. Broadcaster ORF opened submissions for artists and songwriters. The submission deadline is 15 September. Last month, ORF hosted a songwriting camp in Vienna. Artists and producers worked together, creating 18 new songs. Some of these songs could be selected internally to represent Austria. source: Merci,Cherie In Denmark, broadcaster DR opened submissions for Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2026. Composers can send in their songs until 2 November. A professional jury will select eight finalists. The national final is set for 14 February 2026 in Frederikshavn. The winner will represent Denmark at Eurovision 2026. source: DR 📷 EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett Vienna and Innsbruck Submit Host Bids The list of potential host cities is getting shorter. Wels and Linz, who planned a joint bid, decided not to move forward. Technical issues and high costs led them to withdraw. Their venue, the TipsArena, didn’t meet key Eurovision requirements. source: OTS At the same time, Vienna and Innsbruck submitted official bids to host the contest. Vienna proposed the Wiener Stadthalle, the same venue it used in 2015. Innsbruck chose the Olympiaworld complex. Both cities confirmed their bids with detailed proposals. ORF, the Austrian broadcaster, will now review the applications. A decision on the 2026 host city is expected by 8 August. That’s all for this weekly update. Stay tuned for another weekly roundup next week as the road to Eurovision 2026 continues! Share

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