While countries like Kazakhstan and North Macedonia are currently unsure whether they will be participating in Junior Eurovision 2020, Ukraine recently confirmed their intention to participate. Now, Eurovision Fun have reported that Greece may be planning a surprise comeback to the Junior contest…
According to Eurovision Fun, Greek broadcaster ERT are considering making a return to the Junior contest. A decision is yet to be publicly confirmed, however, we could be hearing their decision ‘in the coming days’.
This is allegedly the first time they’ve considered returning since their withdrawal 11 years ago. The site adds that the decision may well be part of a recent ERT drive to commission new content in a bit to increase their viewership.
Greece withdrew from the contest ten years ago in light of cuts to public broadcasting during the financial crisis. Their most recent participation was back in 2008, when Niki Yannouchou placed 14th with “Kapoia nychta”.
Junior Eurovision 2020 – what we know so far
Junior Eurovision 2020 is to be held on November 29 in the Polish capital of Warsaw. The slogan for the show is ‘Move The World’. Following Viki Gabor’s victory on home soil in 2019, this will mark TVP’s second consecutive time hosting.
Note, unlike previous years, the show is due to be held in a TV studio, rather than an arena. The venue itself is yet to be confirmed, and will either be ATM Studio or Transcolor Studio.
To date, the following countries have confirmed participation in the contest:
Greece at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest
Greece was one of the sixteen countries to debut at the inaugural Junior Eurovision back in 2003, hosted in Copenhagen. They debuted with Nicolas Ganopoulos’ “Fili gia panda”, which placed eighth. They participated in six contests overall before withdrawing.
Greece’s best entry in the contest was a sixth place finish back in 2005 with Alexandros and Kalli’s “Tora einai i seira mas”. Greece’s worst result was in 2007, when Made In Greece’s came last out of 17 acts with “Kapou berdeftika”.
It first emerged that Greece were considering withdrawing back in October 2008, citing low ratings and the objection of using children for such a contest. Coinciding with the Greek financial crisis, ERT officially withdrew from Junior Eurovision in April 2009.
Are you glad to potentially see Greece back at the junior contest for another year? Are you looking forward to Junior Eurovision 2020? Let us know! Be sure to stay updated by following @ESCXTRA on Twitter, @escxtra on Instagram and liking our Facebook page for the latest updates! Also, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to see our reactions to the over the coming months.
As long as their entries are better than 2007, I think they would be a great addition to the show