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Eurovision Song Contest 1986

Eurovision Song Contest 1986
ESC 1986 logo.png
Dates
Final 3 May 1986
Host
Venue Grieghallen
Bergen, Norway
Presenter(s) Åse Kleveland
Conductor Egil Monn-Iversen
Director John Andreassen
Executive supervisor Frank Naef
Host broadcaster Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK)
Opening act "Welcome to Music" performed by Åse Kleveland
Interval act "Bergensiana" performed by Sissel Kyrkjebø and Steinar Ofsdal
Participants
Number of entries 20
Debuting countries  Iceland
Returning countries  Netherlands
 Yugoslavia
Withdrawing countries  Greece
 Italy
Vote
Voting system Each country awarded 12, 10, 8-1 point(s) to their 10 favourite songs
Nul points None
Winning song  Belgium
"J'aime la vie"

The Eurovision Song Contest 1986 was the 31st Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 3 May 1986 in Grieghallen in Bergen, Norway. It was the first occasion on which Norway played host to the contest. The presenter was Åse Kleveland, a well-known folk guitarist who was President of the Norwegian Association of Musicians (and a former Eurovision entrant, in 1966).

The 1986 contest was a first for Eurovision in that royalty were among the guests—Crown Prince Harald, Crown Princess Sonja, Princess Märtha Louise and Prince Haakon Magnus were all in attendance.

Sandra Kim was the winner of this Eurovision with the song "J'aime la vie", representing Belgium. Aged 13, Kim was the youngest ever Eurovision winner. Current rules require Eurovision Song Contest participants to be at least 16, so unless the rule is changed, Kim's record will never be broken. In the lyrics of her song, Kim claimed to be 15 years of age, but after the contest, it was revealed that she was actually 13. Switzerland, who finished second, appealed for her to be disqualified, but this was to no avail.

By 1985, Norway had received the unwanted distinction of being "the nul points country," receiving 0 points three times and coming in last six times. When they did win the 1985 Contest, it was a source of pride among Norwegian population, and the national broadcaster, NRK, took full advantage of being able to showcase Norway and its achievements in front of over 500 million television viewers. By the autumn of 1985, NRK had decided to hold the next year's contest at the Grieghallen in Bergen, turning down other bids from capital Oslo, and main cities of Stavanger, Sandnes and Trondheim.


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