Switzerland wins Eurovision Song Contest 2024

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Nemo wins the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest with their song The Code.

Swiss rapper and singer Nemo won this year’s Eurovision Song Contest with The Code, a drum-and-bass, opera, rap and rock tune about Nemo’s journey of self-discovery as a non-binary person.

Switzerland scored a total of 591 points, ahead of Croatia in second place with 547 points. Ukraine came third, while Israel came fifth.

“I hope that this competition can continue to encourage peace and dignity for everyone,” said an emotional Nemo as they received their award.

The 24-year-old then performed their song “The Code” for a second time on stage, which, along with Croatia, had been at the top of the list of names mentioned by bookmakers in recent weeks.

“For a country like Switzerland, having a song that incorporates non-binarity is no mean feat,” said Nemo at the press conference following the competition.

Nemo pointed out that Switzerland currently has no official third pronoun, and called for better representation of the non-binary community in politics.

Third Swiss win

By winning this year, Nemo gave Switzerland its third title, after more than thirty years without a win. Switzerland won the inaugural Eurovision Song Contest in Lugano in 1956 and in 1988 with then 20-year-old Céline Dion’s victory for Switzerland.

“This trophy is very special for Switzerland,” said Nemo. “It’s not always easy for artists from this country to make a name for themselves outside its borders”.

Nemo was congratulated by a number of political figures, including Interior Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, who is also responsible for culture. On social media platform X, she referred to the victory as a recognition of Nemo’s multiple talents and exuberant personality.

Félicitations Nemo pour cette folle victoire! Un coup de projecteur sur vos multiples talents et une reconnaissance de votre personnalité empreinte d’exubérance, de sensibilité, d’intimité et d’audace. #Eurovision2024External link pic.twitter.com/jC2qe9Kv2eExternal link

— Elisabeth Baume-Schneider (@elisabeth_baume) May 11, 2024External link

Tense atmosphere

The 2024 edition of Eurovision was marked by controversy, particularly over the participation of Israel, in the midst of the war in Gaza.

At the start of the competition, a large number of police officers dispersed around a hundred pro-Palestinian demonstrators outside the venue, including climate activist Greta Thunberg.

To ensure the safety of the event – and of the 100,000 fans from 90 countries – the Malmö police mobilised reinforcements from all over Scandinavia, as well as from Denmark and Norway. In the streets of Sweden’s third-largest city, where the majority of Sweden’s population of Palestinian origin live, more than 5,000 people marched peacefully to protest against Israel’s participation, according to the police.

Next stop: Zurich, Bern, Geneva or Basel?

As the winner, Switzerland will host Eurovision next year, as is customary. The cities of Zurich, Bern, Geneva and Basel have been mooted as possible hosts. Yves Schifferle, head of the Swiss Eurovision delegation, mentioned these venues, which have large halls and a good infrastructure, on RTS at the beginning of April.

The costs would be borne by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), the parent company of SWI swissinfo.ch, but also by the host city. The participating countries would also have to contribute financially. Schifferle did not say how much these costs would be, but indicated that discussions had been held with other countries.

Interested Swiss cities can submit their bids to host the event in 2025 in a call for tenders. The SBC will then take a decision as host and organiser of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) music competition.

A task force from the SBC will kick off preparations on Monday. An extraordinary meeting of the SBC management is scheduled for Sunday.

“This is a wonderful opportunity, both artistically and for tourism, to show the world what sets Switzerland apart. It is now up to us to rise to this challenge together,” said SBC Director General Gilles Marchand, who is also a member of the Executive Board of the EBU.

Translated from German by DeepL/amva/ac

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