The 20 pages long contract between the Latvian broadcaster LTV, organisation of the Eurovision Song Contest 2003, and the owners of the Skonto Olympic Hall, which will be the venue for the upcoming contest, has been signed this week.

After LTV announced the Skonto Hall to be the venue for the next contest, another candidate venue accused the broadcaster of an unfair selection procedure. “The decision to stage the contest at the Skonto Hall was taken several months ago, but the detailed elements of the contract were so voluminous and complicated that negotiations took a bit of time, and a series of supplemental elements had to be added”, LTV said.

LTV will lease the venue from May 5th until May 30th (26 days). The owners of the hall guarantee that the facilities will be in proper order and that they will satisfy all construction, fire safety and other requirements. The second part of the contract makes reference to the provision of services such as janitorial services, security services, water and sewage systems and internet connections in all of the rooms of the hall. The blueprints for the hall will be presented within a few weeks.