Romania expelled from the Eurovision Song Contest
(Picture: YouTube)
For the first time in the 61 year history of the Eurovision Song Contest, a country has been expelled from the competition. Romania has been thrown out of the competition after its national broadcaster TVR failed to make payments to the European Broadcasting Union (the organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest) that date as far back as 2007. Romania have one of the strongest Eurovision Song Contest records, having a 100% record for qualifying for the Eurovision final. They were due to take part in the Second Eurovision Song Contest semi final on Thursday 12th May. The running order of the show will not be recast following Romania’s elimination.
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Ovidiu Anton was due to represent Romania with his pop-rock entry Moment of Silence. Romania will be silent for a lot longer than a moment. Ovidiu promoted the song at the London Eurovision Party on Sunday and was expected to reach a strong position in the Eurovision final on May 14th. In a statement released moments ago on the European Broadcasting Union website, it says:

TVR will now no longer be able to participate in the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest and will lose access to other EBU member services including the Eurovision News and Sports News Exchanges, the right to broadcast specific sporting events, legal, technical and research expertise and lobbying services.
Romanian national broadcaster TVR’s debts to the EBU date back to 2007 and with no other Romanian broadcaster a member of the European Broadcasting Union, it is unlikely that Romania will return to the Eurovision Song Contest for a number of years. ‘This is of course disappointing for the artist chosen to represent Romania, for our colleagues at TVR who have prepared their participation so well this year and, not least, for Romanian viewers and the many Eurovision fans in the country,’ says Jon Ola Sand, Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of the EBU. Asked what this means for host broadcaster SVT, Sand replied: ‘As with all participants, SVT has been preparing for Romania’s act thoroughly over the past weeks. To take an act out at such late stage is of course a little disruptive, but it will not negatively affect the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest in any other way.’ Romania at the Eurovision Song Contest Romania have twice finished third at the Eurovision Song Contest, in 2005 with Luminita Anghel & Sistem with the song Let Me Try and in 2010 with Paula Selling & Ovi and their entry Playing with Fire. Their 2006 entry Tornero by Mihai became one of the biggest summer chart and club hits across Europe in 2006. Mihai took part in the Romanian national final again this year, losing out to Ovidiu. In 2011, Romania was represented by Hotel FM featuring British singer David Bryan. They campaigned extensively in the United Kingdom but failed to pick up any points from the UK, finishing 4th in their semi final, but only 17th in the final.