With Cuts in Public TV Funding, Spanish Eurovision Entrant Told “Please Don’t Win”
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As the Spanish economy struggles under the weight of its debt, Spanish public television directors have urged its representative at the Eurovision Song Contest, Pastora Soler, not to win because Spain cannot afford to stage next year’s contest. Under the rules of the contest, the public broadcaster of the country that wins the contest will have to host the competition the following year.
As the Spanish economy struggles under the weight of its debt, Spanish public television directors have urged its representative at the Eurovision Song Contest, Pastora Soler, not to win because Spain cannot afford to stage next year’s contest. Under the rules of the contest, the public broadcaster of the country that wins the contest will have to host the competition the following year.
The euro zone crisis is everywhere. The political and economic plight of Greece and Spain has reached fever pitch. And now awareness of the splintering currency area’s economic realities has reached the Eurovision Song Contest.
The annual music contest, which dates back to 1956, currently boasts a television audience of 125 million each year.
However, Spain’s representative Pastora Soler has admitted the country would struggle to host the event if it were to win.
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Speaking to ABC Punto Radio, Soler said:
[quote] I think it is not the moment, neither for Spain nor for Spanish public to win Eurovision. If we won, I think it would be impossible to stage the next edition because it costs so much money. [/quote]
The AFP noted that Spain’s conservative government has slashed spending and raised taxes – measures in line with the country’s fiscal discipline – to reduce the nation’s public deficit to within a European Union limit of 3.0 percent of GDP in 2013, from 8.9 percent last year.
As part of the austerity drive, public television in Spain has seen its funding reduced too.
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However, such problems are not unique to Spain.
Last month, EconomyWatch reported that Greece’s track and field athletes risk missing the 2012 London Olympics, as well as the European Championships in Helsinki this summer, due to cuts in state funding.
With a similar fate as Spain, the Greek government has slashed funding for sports, health care and public services in the aftermath of a spiralling debt crisis within the country and throughout the eurozone region.
Several high-profile Greek athletes have already complained that training facilities, once created for the 2004 Olympics in Athens, had been poorly maintained and not kept in ideal conditions for preparations towards the biggest sporting event on the athletics calendar.
Read the full story: Greek Athletes Risk Missing Olympics Due To Cuts In State Funding
