Fiona Govan
SPAIN has broken its tragic record as a Eurovision failure and come in third after a raunchy performance by Chanel with the reggaeton hit ‘SloMo’.
Chanel, whose selection was mired in controversy, won 231 points from the jury and 228 from the televote, which placed Spain in third spot overall.
The 31-year-old Cuban-born entertainer wore a revealing outfit styled on a bullfighter’s traja de luz and included other Spanish elements in her performance such as the iconic fan.
It is the best result since 1995 when Anabel Conde came second with the song ‘Vuelve Conmigo’.
The last time Spain won Eurovision was in 1969 with Salome’s Vivo Cantando. The year before, Massiel beat Cliff Richard when the competition was held in London’s Royal Albert Hall with the very repetitive song ‘La La La’.
Years later when secret state documents were declassified it emerged that dictator Francisco Franco had rigged the competition and bought votes to secure Spain’s win.
This year’s contest, which was held in Turin, was won by Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra, in a symbolic show of public support following the country’s invasion by Russia.
The rap-folk band, who were given special permission to leave the war-torn country, soared to first place with 631 points.
They ended their performance in Turin with a plea: “Please help Ukraine, help Mariupol, help Azovstal right now.”
Sam Ryder came second for the UK, the country’s best result since 1998.
Spain has said it would be very happy to host the competition if Ukraine is unable to next year.
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