Eurovision changes rules so winning country can be blocked from hosting

The European Broadcasting Union can now prevent the winning country from hosting Eurovision (Picture: Getty)

The Eurovision Song Contest has introduced a new set of rules that could prevent the winning country from hosting the following year’s contest.

Traditionally, Eurovision is hosted by the broadcaster from the previous year’s winning country, provided that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) requests it.

Now, however, updated rules have given the EBU the power to hand out hosting duties to another broadcaster if the winning broadcaster does not accept or follow Eurovision’s rules.

Circumstances in which hosting duties may be passed over include if the winning country cannot guarantee the safety and se...