Slovenia's national broadcaster RTV Slovenia announced on Thursday that it will not broadcast the Eurovision Song Contest this year, after the small European country previously withdrew from the event over Israel's participation.
Eurovision 2026 in Vienna
This year's main competition, featuring 35 competing countries, is scheduled to take place from May 12 to 16 in Vienna, Austria.
Slovenia, along with a handful of other nations—including Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Spain—is boycotting the event because Israel was allowed to take part.
RTV Slovenia Director's Statement
"We will not be broadcasting the Eurovision Song Contest," Ksenija Horvat, RTV Slovenia director, told The Associated Press. "We will be airing the film series 'Voices of Palestine,' featuring Palestinian documentaries and feature films."
Organizers of the song competition decided in December to allow Israel to compete, which prompted the walkout of Slovenia and other countries. Slovenia has been a vocal critic of Israel over its conduct of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Eurovision and Politics
The Eurovision contest strives to put pop music before politics but has repeatedly been embroiled in world events. Russia was expelled in 2022 after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The contest has also been roiled by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, stirring protests outside the venues and forcing organizers to clamp down on political flag-waving.
