Minutes after the announcement of the sponsor deal with Nemiroff for the upcoming contest, the first critical comments popped up.
Our colleagues at DotEurovision.com wrote: “The deal with the drinks company comes shortly after the Junior Eurovision Song Contest was used to promote a campaign to discourage children from smoking”. Indeed, it's a strange contradiction… FEEL FREE TO SAY NO, the European prevention campaign against smoking among adolescents, was the official partner of the 2004 Junior Eurovision Song Contest.
It's not the first time the Eurovision Song Contest will be sponsored by a company producing alcoholic drinks. In 2001 and 2002, beer companies sponsored the Eurovision Song Contest. The Eurovision Song Contest is considered as a family event, which the EBU underlined several times in recent history.
Esctoday.com asked the EBU for a reaction.
