Baku, January 31 AZERTAC
Earlier today the Semi-Final Allocation Draw, to determine which country will participate in which Semi-Final of the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest took place in host city Kyiv. During the ceremony, Mrs Eva-Louise Erlandsson Slorach, President of the City Council in Stockholm, handed over the Host City Insignia to Kyiv City Mayor Vitaliy Klychko. Previous Ukrainian winners of the Eurovision Song Contest, Jamala (2016) and Ruslana (2004) also participated in the ceremony.
At the request of German broadcaster ARD, and following approval from the Reference Group, the governing body of the Eurovision Song Contest, Germany will broadcast and vote in the Second Semi-Final on Thursday 11th May. At the request of Swiss broadcaster SRF and approved by the Reference Group, Switzerland will participate in the Second Semi-Final which will have 19 participants and the First Semi-Final 18 participants.
The Big Five and the host country are directly qualified to the final. Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom will vote in Semi-Final 1. Germany, Ukraine and France will vote in Semi-Final 2.