Opinion Piece: Ukraine have won, now what next?

Editor of  The Euro Trip, Rob Lilley, gives us his initial thoughts following Saturday's contest...

Congratulations to Jamala and Ukraine, the winners of Eurovision 2016. But this is the result that changes everything. "1944" is unlike any song that has gone before it in the history of this great song contest, and the fallout from its success continues to be felt across Europe.

Jamala won with a massive 534 points, finishing ahead of Australia and Russia

Minutes after Ukraine won it was immediately clear that Russia were unhappy with the result, something which was massively exacerbated by the fact that they were the clear winners of the televote on the night. Officials from the Russian broadcaster have even called for their nation to boycott next years contest, something which could happen. Indeed should the contest be held in Kiev, as seems likely, the contest will be hosted by a city Russia doesn't even consider the capital of Ukraine.

But when Russia can normally rely on the support of Eastern Europe to back their song, this year was different. Sure the voters at home still supported Sergey, but the Juries across Europe were very much agreed that he wasn't the deserved winner,

Furthermore the contrast in the televote and the jury results in 2016 provide probably the most confusing part of the contest. Take Poland for example, where they were placed second bottom with the jury and third with the voters at home. The new voting system exacerbates this contrast in opinions between the two on a very public scale. Should it be 50/50 between the two, should we go back to the only system, or should the televoters or juries have a bigger say? All of these questions are likely to be debated long into the future ahead of next year's contest.

Michal was the big winner of the new voting system

But for now lets look at what we know about 2017. For one, it is clear Ukraine will host the contest. Fair play to them, it is their right to want to show their nation in a positive light, especially after all the negative reaction they've received over the last few years. But lets remember for a moment the reasons for all that bad press. They are at war, sure not in Kiev or the majority of the country, but can the safety of fans, the press and associated delegates be assured given the current situation in the country? I for one would like very strong assurances from the Ukrainian broadcaster and government before planning any trip.

That said, 2017 is already a very exciting prospect. We are returning to Eastern Europe for the first time since 2009, and that means we will get a very different contest in style, vibe and genre than the last few years. Looking back in history, the contests hosted in the East have presented us with some of the most memorable moments, look at the way in which Eurovision managed to straddle both Europe and Asia in Istanbul in 2004.

The Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kiev is venue most likely to host the contest

The Eurovision scene is also likely to look very different by the time of the first semi-final on 16th May 2017. Russia may have withdrawn and some other big countries could join them, and then we're likely to have some debutantes too. Kazakhstan seem likely to be appearing for the first time next year, Turkey are returning, and we could have a surprise or two. Kosovo perhaps?

For the next few months we can dream, dream of our perfect contest - and that's exactly what I plan to do.

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