Eurovision Song Contest in Riga
When some people think of Latvia maybe the most famous international occasion in recent years was the hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest in Riga.
The sometimes maligned competition was hosted in May 2003 and will perhaps be best remembered in this country for the UK’s entry (Jemini) scoring no points, representing the worst ever performance for a song representing the United Kingdom.
At the other end of the spectrum the competition was eventually won by the Turkish entry (Sertab Erener), with Belgium second and the controversial Russian duo Tatu finishing third.
Latvia were hosting the event after winning the previous year’s contest, thanks to an entry from 22-year old law student Marija Naumova. The 2004 competition was the largest indoor concert ever held in Latvia and took place in the 6,000 capacity Skonto Hall.
The Latvian organising committee were keen to point out at the time that the event was seen as being very important to the home nation. Eurovision was beamed live to more than 160 million people around the continent – an impressive event for a relatively small nation to host.
The event was not without some controversy though – the Latvian government paid half the cost of hosting the event and also spent more money on renovating the Skonto Hall.
Despite this, the Eurovision Song Contest in Riga was largely seen as a success, marking the second year in succession that the event had been held in one of the Baltic states (the 2003 contest was held in Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia).
The only slight disappointment for the hosts may have been the performance of the Latvian song, which only scored points thanks to a helping hand from the Estonian judges. At least those points were enough to save Latvia from the sort of embarrassment suffered by the United Kingdom!
Related Links: Visiting Riga, Riga Nightlife
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