Ukraine chooses city to host Eurovision 2017

Eurovision 2017 will be held in Kiev, announced Zurab Alasania - director of National Television Company of Ukraine - at a special briefing on Friday. Six Ukrainian cities had applied to host the competition, among them Kiev, Dnipro, Lviv, Odessa, Kharkiv, and Kherson.

The three final contenders included Kiev, Odessa, and Dnieper. Kiev, according to Alasania, received 19 out of 23 votes, while Odessa received only two. Another member of the committee chose to abstain.

The venue of the competition will be the International Exhibition Center, which is situated on the left bank of the River Dnieper.

The final of Eurovision 2017 will take place on 13 May. Semifinals are scheduled for May 9 and 11.

• Eurovision 2016 took place in Stockholm, Sweden. Ukraine's entry was pop artist Jamala's tune “1944,” which tells the story of the Soviet-era deportation of the Crimean Tatars.
• Kiev hosted the Eurovision competition in 2005.