Czech Republic in the Eurovision Song Contest
Encyclopedia
The Czech Republic has competed at the Eurovision Song Contest three times, first taking part in 2007
. On all three attempts the country failed to qualify to the final from the semi-finals, placing in the bottom two in all attempts. The country withdrew after the 2009 Contest
after their entry Gipsy.cz
failed to score a single point in the semi-final.
, Československá televize
(ČST) is known to have broadcast a number of editions of the Contest in Czechoslovakia during the 1960s and 1970s. After the dissolution of the state in 1993
the Czech Republic's partner Slovakia
immediately attempted to enter the Contest, entering the contest three times between 1994 and 1998, before withdrawing.
Czech broadcaster Česká televize
had originally planned to send an entry to the 2005 Contest
, held in Kiev
, Ukraine
, however this did not materialise for various reasons. ČT again looked at sending an entry to the 2006 Contest
in Athens
, Greece
, but failed to do so after having doubts that the country would qualify for the final.
In April 2006 ČT officially confirmed their presence at the 2007 Contest
in Helsinki
, Finland
.
ČT held a national final to select the first Czech entry. Eurosong 2007 featured 10 songs, with the public voting for the winner through SMS
voting. However one song was withdrawn before the show began, leaving only 9 songs to compete. The winner was rock band Kabát
with the song "Malá dáma
". At the contest's semi-final on 10 May 2007 the Czech Republic performed 16th in the semi-final, however only received one point (which came from Estonia
) from the televoters around Europe.
For the 2008 Contest
in Belgrade
, Serbia
, ČT again held a national final to select the entry for the country. 10 acts again competed for the chance to represent the Czech Republic in Serbia, with the winner of Eurosong 2008 being Tereza Kerndlová
with "Have Some Fun
". At the second semi-final of Eurovision 2008 Kerndlová performed 8th in the running order, receiving 9 points for her performance (1 points from Turkey
and Malta
, 2 points from Croatia
and 5 points from Macedonia
), placing 18th of 19 entries, and failing once again to qualify the Czech Republic to the final.
Despite placing in the bottom two twice, ČT confirmed that they would participate at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
in Moscow
, Russia
. ČT decided to hold an internal selection for the artist who would represent the country at the contest in Russia, with a public vote on the song they would sing. The broadcaster chose Romani band Gipsy.cz
in January 2009 to compete in Moscow – the band had previously competed in the two previous national finals, coming both times in the top three. Two songs were presented to the Czech public to vote on: "Aven Romale" and "Do You Wanna". Afer voting had concluded after 14 days, the final winner was "Aven Romale
", which featured lead singer Radoslav Banga
dressing-up as a super-hero character, Super Gypsy.
The group performed 2nd on the night of the first semi-final of the contest, held on 12 May 2009. However the group managed to receive nul points from the 20 countries voting in the semi-final, becoming the 16th entry to achieve this result since the current voting method was introduced in 1975.
, stating a lack of interest from the Czech public to the contest and poor viewing figues for the shows.
(CT) had ruled out a return to the contest in 2012
. However, on 20 October 2011, the broadcaster announced that a final decision on participation had not been taken yet. However, it was subsequently reported that the Czech Republic would not return as Eurovision Song Contest related programmes was not included in the broadcasters yearly schedule.
NOTE: The totals in the above tables include only points awarded in Eurovision finals, and not the semi-finals since 2004.
Eurovision Song Contest 2007
The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It was won by first-time appearance as an independent country Serbia and was held at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland from 10 May to 12 May. The host broadcaster was YLE.Finland earned the right to host...
. On all three attempts the country failed to qualify to the final from the semi-finals, placing in the bottom two in all attempts. The country withdrew after the 2009 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2009
The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest and was hosted by Russia after their win in 2008. It took place between 12 and 16 May 2009 at the Olympic Indoor Arena in Moscow, Russia....
after their entry Gipsy.cz
Gipsy.cz
Gipsy.cz are a Romani Hip hop group from the Czech Republic. Their music has recently hit the charts there and they are gaining a following throughout Europe, featuring on MTV. They played at Glastonbury 2007 festival...
failed to score a single point in the semi-final.
Early history
During the time of CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, Československá televize
Czechoslovak Television
Czechoslovak Television was founded on 1 May 1953 in the former Czechoslovakia. Around its dissolution into Czechia and Slovakia in the end of 1992, ČST was abolished, and the new companies, public service broadcasters, emerged:...
(ČST) is known to have broadcast a number of editions of the Contest in Czechoslovakia during the 1960s and 1970s. After the dissolution of the state in 1993
Dissolution of Czechoslovakia
The dissolution of Czechoslovakia, which took effect on 1 January 1993, was an event that saw the self-determined separation of the federal state of Czechoslovakia. The Czech Republic and Slovakia, entities which had arisen in 1969 within the framework of Czechoslovak federalisation, became...
the Czech Republic's partner Slovakia
Slovakia in the Eurovision Song Contest
Slovakia has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest six times, debuting in 1994. It had attempted to debut in 1993, but did not pass through the qualifying round. In the three finals that Slovakia has participated, it has placed no better than 18th, which it received in 1996...
immediately attempted to enter the Contest, entering the contest three times between 1994 and 1998, before withdrawing.
Czech broadcaster Česká televize
Ceská televize
Česká televize is the public television broadcaster in the Czech Republic, broadcasting four channels.- Czechoslovak Television :Television in Czechoslovakia started to take its first steps before World War II. However, before visible results could be achieved, all activities were interrupted by...
had originally planned to send an entry to the 2005 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2005
The Eurovision Song Contest 2005 was the 50th Eurovision Song Contest, which was held at the Palace of Sports, Kiev, Ukraine. The winner was Greece's My Number One, written by Christos Dantis and Natalia Germanou and performed by Swedish-born Greek singer Elena Paparizou, who scored 230 points,...
, held in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, however this did not materialise for various reasons. ČT again looked at sending an entry to the 2006 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2006
The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens, Greece on 18 May and 20 May 2006 . The hosting national broadcaster of the contest was Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi . The Finnish band Lordi won the contest with the song "Hard Rock...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, but failed to do so after having doubts that the country would qualify for the final.
Participation
Eurovision Song Contest 2007
The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It was won by first-time appearance as an independent country Serbia and was held at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland from 10 May to 12 May. The host broadcaster was YLE.Finland earned the right to host...
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
.
ČT held a national final to select the first Czech entry. Eurosong 2007 featured 10 songs, with the public voting for the winner through SMS
SMS
SMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
voting. However one song was withdrawn before the show began, leaving only 9 songs to compete. The winner was rock band Kabát
Kabát
Kabát is a hard rock band hailing from Teplice, Czech Republic. The group is composed of Josef Vojtek , Milan Špalek , Tomáš Krulich , Ota Váňa and Radek Hurčík . Kabát have enjoyed major popularity in their home country since the 1990s...
with the song "Malá dáma
Malá Dáma
"Malá dáma" is a song performed by Czech hard rock band Kabát, which was the 2007 Eurovision entrant for the Czech Republic. The song is significant as the first Eurovision entrant for the Czech Republic: it's actual impact at the 2007 Eurovision Contest was negligible being eliminated in the...
". At the contest's semi-final on 10 May 2007 the Czech Republic performed 16th in the semi-final, however only received one point (which came from Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
) from the televoters around Europe.
Eurovision Song Contest 2008
The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Contest. It was hosted in Belgrade, Serbia after Marija Šerifović won the 2007 Contest in Helsinki, Finland. This year was the first contest to have two semi-finals which were held on 20 and 22 May, and the final held on 24 May 2008...
in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, ČT again held a national final to select the entry for the country. 10 acts again competed for the chance to represent the Czech Republic in Serbia, with the winner of Eurosong 2008 being Tereza Kerndlová
Tereza Kerndlová
Tereza Kerndlová is a singer in the Czech Republic. She rose to fame as a member of the trio Black Milk since 2001...
with "Have Some Fun
Have Some Fun
"Have Some Fun" is the Czech Republic's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 and was chosen to represent them on 26 January 2008. The song is sung by Tereza Kerndlová and was performed in the 2nd place on the national final. This song was the second Czech entry for Eurovision, and Tereza...
". At the second semi-final of Eurovision 2008 Kerndlová performed 8th in the running order, receiving 9 points for her performance (1 points from Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, 2 points from Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
and 5 points from Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
), placing 18th of 19 entries, and failing once again to qualify the Czech Republic to the final.
Despite placing in the bottom two twice, ČT confirmed that they would participate at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
Eurovision Song Contest 2009
The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest and was hosted by Russia after their win in 2008. It took place between 12 and 16 May 2009 at the Olympic Indoor Arena in Moscow, Russia....
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. ČT decided to hold an internal selection for the artist who would represent the country at the contest in Russia, with a public vote on the song they would sing. The broadcaster chose Romani band Gipsy.cz
Gipsy.cz
Gipsy.cz are a Romani Hip hop group from the Czech Republic. Their music has recently hit the charts there and they are gaining a following throughout Europe, featuring on MTV. They played at Glastonbury 2007 festival...
in January 2009 to compete in Moscow – the band had previously competed in the two previous national finals, coming both times in the top three. Two songs were presented to the Czech public to vote on: "Aven Romale" and "Do You Wanna". Afer voting had concluded after 14 days, the final winner was "Aven Romale
Aven Romale
"Aven Romale" , is a song by the Czech group Gipsy.cz that was the Czech entry at the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest held in Moscow, Russia. It failed to reach the Eurovision final...
", which featured lead singer Radoslav Banga
Radoslav Banga
Radoslav Banga, a.k.a. Gipsy, is a musician and lead singer of Gypsy Rap/Indian Rap band Gipsy.cz.- Early life :Radoslav was a street kid, and got into the local rap scene where he pioneered his own style of Ethno Rap. His another nickname was Kalo rikono...
dressing-up as a super-hero character, Super Gypsy.
The group performed 2nd on the night of the first semi-final of the contest, held on 12 May 2009. However the group managed to receive nul points from the 20 countries voting in the semi-final, becoming the 16th entry to achieve this result since the current voting method was introduced in 1975.
2010 withdrawal
On 22 July 2009 ČT officially announced their withdrawal from the 2010 ContestEurovision Song Contest 2010
The Eurovision Song Contest 2010 was the 55th annual Eurovision Song Contest, broadcast from the Telenor Arena in Bærum, Greater Oslo, Norway. It was the third time Norway had hosted the contest, having previously done so in 1986 and 1996. The 2010 winner was Germany with Lena singing "Satellite",...
, stating a lack of interest from the Czech public to the contest and poor viewing figues for the shows.
2012 possible return
It had been previously reported that Česká televizeCeská televize
Česká televize is the public television broadcaster in the Czech Republic, broadcasting four channels.- Czechoslovak Television :Television in Czechoslovakia started to take its first steps before World War II. However, before visible results could be achieved, all activities were interrupted by...
(CT) had ruled out a return to the contest in 2012
Eurovision Song Contest 2012
The Eurovision Song Contest 2012 will be the 57th annual Eurovision Song Contest. It will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, following Azerbaijan's win in the 2011 Contest with Ell & Nikki's song "Running Scared". The two semi-finals will be held on 22 May and 24 May 2012, with the final on 26 May 2012,...
. However, on 20 October 2011, the broadcaster announced that a final decision on participation had not been taken yet. However, it was subsequently reported that the Czech Republic would not return as Eurovision Song Contest related programmes was not included in the broadcasters yearly schedule.
Contestants
| Year | Artist | Title | Final | Points | Semi | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 Eurovision Song Contest 2007 The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It was won by first-time appearance as an independent country Serbia and was held at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland from 10 May to 12 May. The host broadcaster was YLE.Finland earned the right to host... |
Kabát Kabát Kabát is a hard rock band hailing from Teplice, Czech Republic. The group is composed of Josef Vojtek , Milan Špalek , Tomáš Krulich , Ota Váňa and Radek Hurčík . Kabát have enjoyed major popularity in their home country since the 1990s... |
Malá dáma Malá Dáma "Malá dáma" is a song performed by Czech hard rock band Kabát, which was the 2007 Eurovision entrant for the Czech Republic. The song is significant as the first Eurovision entrant for the Czech Republic: it's actual impact at the 2007 Eurovision Contest was negligible being eliminated in the... |
X | X | 28 | 1 |
| 2008 Eurovision Song Contest 2008 The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Contest. It was hosted in Belgrade, Serbia after Marija Šerifović won the 2007 Contest in Helsinki, Finland. This year was the first contest to have two semi-finals which were held on 20 and 22 May, and the final held on 24 May 2008... |
Tereza Kerndlová Tereza Kerndlová Tereza Kerndlová is a singer in the Czech Republic. She rose to fame as a member of the trio Black Milk since 2001... |
Have Some Fun Have Some Fun "Have Some Fun" is the Czech Republic's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 and was chosen to represent them on 26 January 2008. The song is sung by Tereza Kerndlová and was performed in the 2nd place on the national final. This song was the second Czech entry for Eurovision, and Tereza... |
X | X | 18 | 9 |
| 2009 Eurovision Song Contest 2009 The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest and was hosted by Russia after their win in 2008. It took place between 12 and 16 May 2009 at the Olympic Indoor Arena in Moscow, Russia.... |
Gipsy.cz Gipsy.cz Gipsy.cz are a Romani Hip hop group from the Czech Republic. Their music has recently hit the charts there and they are gaining a following throughout Europe, featuring on MTV. They played at Glastonbury 2007 festival... |
Aven Romale Aven Romale "Aven Romale" , is a song by the Czech group Gipsy.cz that was the Czech entry at the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest held in Moscow, Russia. It failed to reach the Eurovision final... |
X | X | 18 | 0 |
| 2012(Maybe) Eurovision Song Contest 2012 The Eurovision Song Contest 2012 will be the 57th annual Eurovision Song Contest. It will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, following Azerbaijan's win in the 2011 Contest with Ell & Nikki's song "Running Scared". The two semi-finals will be held on 22 May and 24 May 2012, with the final on 26 May 2012,... |
Voting history (2007-2009)
Czech Republic has given the most points to...| Rank | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 34 | |
| 2 | 25 | |
| 3 | 21 | |
| 4 | 20 | |
| 5 | 14 |
NOTE: The totals in the above tables include only points awarded in Eurovision finals, and not the semi-finals since 2004.
External links
- Points to and from Czech Republic eurovisioncovers.co.uk