VIENNA – It has been the crucible of music icons from ABBA to Celine Dion, a flashy symbol of European integration, the charged focal point for geopolitics and a stage for social change.

For seven decades, the Eurovision Song Contest – which gathers performers from across Europe and further afield, selected by each country’s public broadcasting service – has delighted and, at times, baffled spectators.

Now, the glitzy annual competition – hit by a boycott over Israel’s participation – is gearing up for its 70th anniversary grand final in Vienna on May 16.

So what makes Eurovision so unique? The contest has been rocked in 2026 by the withdrawal of several European countries in protest over Israel’s participation following its war in Gaza, with the global backlash hitting the 2025 competition also.

But it was far from the first time the competition had been affected by geopolitical tensions.

During the Cold War, the absence of Eastern Bloc countries reflected Europe’s division.

Protests also erupted in the 1960s over the participation of Spain under dictator General Francisco Franco, and Portugal under the dictatorship of Antonio de Oliveira Salazar.

The 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus prompted Greece to pull out, while tensions between Georgia and Moscow and the conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region between Armenia and Azerbaijan have also left their mark.

In 2022, Russia was excluded over its invasion of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian contestant went on to win.

Reuniting Europe On the other hand, since the contest expanded to the eastern part of the continent in the 2000s, Eurovision has served as a catalyst for European integration, said University of Glasgow expert Paul Jordan.

Participating in Eurovision has helped former Soviet republics such as Estonia and Ukraine cultivate their images as part of Europe, he added.

“Certainly for Ukraine, it was all about showing themselves as an independent Western, European country” while asserting opposition to Moscow, said Professor Jordan.

Professor Galina Miazhevich, from Cardiff University, said that as much....