What Kyiv, Dnipro and Odessa have to offer for Eurovision 2017

25 July 2016 at 19:44 CEST
Photo: NTU
Three cities still have a chance to host the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest; Kyiv, Dnipro and Odessa. As the Organisational Committee and representatives of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) further inspect their proposals and facilities, decision time is quickly approaching. While we wait for their verdict, Eurovision.tv had a quick glance over the three remaining cities.

On Friday, each candidate city presented their bids to the Organisational Committee of the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest in a live televised special. Moments later, Host Broadcaster NTU announced the three shortlisted cities. While Kyiv, Dnipro and Odessa remain to be considered, Kharkiv, Kherson and Lviv dropped out of the race.

Kyiv

Kyiv is the capital of Ukraine. With a population of nearly 3 million, it is the largest city in Ukraine. Officially, Kyiv was founded in 482 (A.D.).

The capital of Ukraine hosted three Eurovision events before; the Eurovision Song Contest in 2005, the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2009 and 2012. In 2012, the city's newly renovated Olimpiyskiy Stadium hosted the final of the EURO2012 football tournament.

Kyiv proposes to host next year's contest at the Palace of Sports, which also hosted the 2005 contest. The venue, which is centrally located, has a capacity of nearly 10,000 spectators. The capital's proposal also opens up for the possibility to use facilities of the nearby Olimpiyskiy Stadium for press and fans.

Kyiv presented itself with a promotional video:

Dnipro

With approximately a million inhabitants, Dnipro is the fourth largest city in Ukraine. The city, until recently named Dnipropetrovsk, only recently decided to shorten its name.

Dnipro is situated nearly 400 kilometres southeast from Kyiv. Compared to the capital, Dnipro is a relatively young city, founded in 1776.

The city of Dnipro proposes to host the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest in the EuroArena, which is currently under construction and could fit up to 9,500 spectators, as well as the Press Centre and the EuroClub.

Dnipro also presented itself with a promotional video:

Odessa

Situated on the north-western shore of the Black Sea, Odessa is one of Ukraine's most popular summer tourism destinations. The city has a population of roughly one million people and is slightly bigger than Dnipro. The city was founded in 1794, originally as strategically located port.

In a bold move, Odessa proposes the Chornomorets Stadium, which has a capacity of some 10,000 spectators, as venue for the contest. The building would need to be upgraded with a roof, which the city is prepared to construct in time before the contest.

Odessa also presented itself with a promotional video:

Decision time

As the Organisational Committee and representatives from the EBU further review the three city bids, the moment of truth is approaching quickly. A final decision on where the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest will take place is expected latest 1st of August.

Fans on Twitter have already made up their mind; with over 50% of the vote. they believe Kyiv is the most likely candidate host city to win the bid process.

Only time will tell..!