Switzerland, the first country to ever win Eurovision has recently struggled to find their feet in the contest and have failed to qualify for the Grand Final for the past three years.
The current situation
Switzerland last qualified for the Grand Final in 2014, when Sebalter represented the country with his song Hunter of Stars. His qualification broke a two-year streak non-qualification and gave Switzerland’s second best result of the century.
However, despite high hopes of continuing their qualification streak, this was not the case since 2014.
In 2015, Switzerland was represented by Mélanie René and Time to Shine. However, despite an energetic performance she failed to qualify and placed last in her semi final.The same story occurred in 2016 when Rykka represented Switzerland with her song The Last of our Kind.
In 2017, Switzerland tried to turn things around by making a few tweaks to its national final. Timebelle represented Switzerland in Kyiv. Despite the public support and being a fan favorite, Timebelle failed to qualify for the Grand Final. They managed to place 12th Place with 97 Points (5 Points away from qualifying for Saturday’s show)
What is Switzerland doing to qualify?
The Swiss broadcaster has announced further changes to their national selection. In addition to televoting, they have also introduced international juries. This is to ensure that their entry could also appeal to an international audience.
It looks like Switzerland is serious about wanting to qualify for the Grand Final that they flew some members of the Swedish delegation for a workshop, and it looks like the workshop resulted in the changes announced.
In an interview with Blick, Swiss HoD Retro Peritz has said
“After failing to qualify in 2010, Sweden decided to make some changes in their national selection. After this, they have achieved great results every year. This is what SRF wants to do.”
Do you think that Switzerland can turn things around and qualify for the Grand Final? or do you think they will have their 4th consecutive non-qualification in Lisbon?. Let us know your opinions and thoughts below or at social media @ESCXTRA
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