Drug use, underage singers, and double standards: The biggest Eurovision controversies
Words by Georgia Ziebart, ITV News Producer
Whether you love it or loathe it, the Eurovision Song Contest is one of the most-watched TV events of the year.
But the competition has faced its fair share of controversy over the more than 60 years it has been on screen.
As we approach the 68th final this weekend, here's a round up of the contest's most contentious moments:
Winner forgets her lines
The first ever Eurovision was made memorable by the winning act forgetting her lines.
Only seven nations competed in the 1956 contest held in Lugano, Switzerland.
The host country singer, Lys Assia, was crowned the winner, with the song 'Refrain'. But during a repeat performance, Assia forgot the words.
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Portugal's entry starts a revolution
Fifty years ago, Portugal entered the contest with a song that became synonymous with revolution in the country.
Paulo de Carvalho's song, 'E Depois Do Adeus', was used by radio stations in 1974 as a signal to ready the Carnation revolution forces to take on the authoritarian government.
But the song made less of an impact on the Eurovision judges - it came in last place, with just three points.
Belgium's underage winner
The 1986 winner, Belgium, has only ever won the competition once despite being one of the original Eurovision contestants.
But the act was almost disqualified after it was discovered she was younger than originally thought.
Sandra Kim was revealed to be just 13 years old - not 16, as had been previously reported.
Petitions for her disqualification were unsuccessful, and she remains the contest's youngest winner.
Israel cancels its own act
In 2000, Israel selected pop group PingPong to perform the Hebrew track 'Sameach'.
During the contest, the group waved Syrian flags on stage amid conflict between Syria, Israel and Lebanon at the time.
Israel's Broadcasting Authority responded by saying PingPong was "a band of crooks" who "misled" the authority.
Georgia takes aim at Russia
The contest found itself embroiled in controversy again in 2009 when they declared Georgia's song too political, following the Russo-Georgian war.
The song, 'We Don't Wanna Put In', was banned for its anti-Putin sentiment.
Georgia was offered the chance to find an alternative song, but they chose to withdraw from the contest instead.
Ukraine bans Russian entry
Russia did not participate in or air the 2017 competition after its contestant was barred from the host country - Ukraine.
Julia Samoylova was not allowed to legally travel to Ukraine after it was discovered that she toured in Crimea in 2015 following Russia's annexation.
She represented Russia the following year, in Portugal.
Stage invader disturbs UK performance
The following year was far from smooth sailing. The contest was disrupted when the stage was stormed in the middle of the UK act's performance.
SuRie was performing her song 'Storm' when a man snatched the microphone from her hands and shouted: "Modern nazis of the UK media, we demand freedom, war is not peace."
She was able to complete her performance, and the broadcast cut to an unscheduled interview in the green room following the song.
As a result, SuRie was given permission to perform again after the final performance, but she subsequently declined to do so saying she was proud of her one performance.
She went on to finish 24th out of the 26 competing countries.
Winners deny taking drugs
While celebrating their victory, Italian band Maneskin were accused of being caught on camera taking cocaine during the live broadcast.
Lead singer Damiano David denied this, and the European Broadcasting Union ultimately ruled in their favour.
Israel's lyrics change
This year's competition has also faced controversy, mainly surrounding Israel's entry.
Eurovision's organisers allowed Israel to compete after they changed the lyrics to its entry. The song was thought to make political reference to the October 7 Hamas attacks.
But some have called for organisers to bar the country from competing at all, amid outrage at Israel's military actions in Gaza.
Critics have accused Eurovision of "double standards," over its decision to ban Russia after its invasion of Ukraine but allowing Israel to compete.
Israel's entry, Eden Golan, told ITV News that she hopes "music will win out" amid the protests.
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