“We will allow all official flags that exist in the world, as long as they comply with the law and certain criteria such as size and security risks,” said executive producer Michael Krenn at a press conference organized by ORF. He added: “We will not beautify anything or refrain from showing what is happening, because our role is to present things as they are.”
The broadcaster also made clear that it will not mute or obscure booing from the audience, as was done last year during the performance by Israel’s representative, Yuval Raphael. ORF’s head of programming said that “no artificial applause will be added at any stage.”
ORF and the Austrian government have been among the most vocal supporters of Israel’s participation in the contest. Last month, ORF Director General Roland Weissmann visited Israel to express his support.
The participating countries are: Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
The first Eurovision semifinal will be held on May 12 and the second two days later, with the grand final scheduled for May 16. The shows will be broadcast on Kan. Israel’s representative will be selected next month on the reality show “The Next Star.”