It’s often said that things can change up to the last minute, and that’s how they actually did! Despite the great disruption within the Estonian delegation and the intense rumors that the country’s representative Elina Nechayeva could not raise the required amount for her special projection dress, some pleasant news is making the rounds today.

They did it!

Elina Nechayeva‘s taking to the Eurovision stage will finally be sponsored by a group of operators in the Baltic country and moreover by the budget of the Estonian broadcaster ETV, which was unable to cover the entire amount of about 65,000 Euros.

The joint team which is going to finance Estonia’s 2018 Eurovision appearance will be consisting of: Saku Suurhall (Eurovision 2002 venue), Carglass, Estravel, River Island and Elina’s management.

Delegation’s reactions

For sure, it has been a long and difficult period for the Estonian Head of Delegation (HoD) Mart Normet, who had asked for the assistance of many public and private bodies in order to give a solution to the issue. Relieved now, he spoke about his team’s plan B and Elina Nechayeva herself:

Eurovision can be a tough game when you are a small nation with big ideas, so we are thrilled that a solution was found.

I know there are some sceptics out there who thought that this was all a publicity stunt and they may never fully believe us, but we were incredibly close to having to pull the plug on the projector dress all together. We had a different act with a new lighting and camera plan ready to go, just in case.

Elina is an incredible singer and performer, so we were never worried about the quality of her performance, but we are so happy that we can deliver to Europe and the world what we believe will be a truly impressive television moment.

By overcoming this major problem, the Estonian hopeful has now found her way to Lisbon and her rehearsals’ beginning this Sunday, 29 April. With a brief statement, Elina Nechayeva thanked everyone who has helped her with materials and morals so far:

I am so thankful to all the sponsors for their help, the Estonian team who have worked so hard to make this happen and to all the fans out there who have sent me messages of support. I cannot wait to go out there and make you all proud.

Estonia is all set to perform 9th at the first semi-final evening on 8 May. The 63rd Eurovision Song Contest will be taking place on 8, 10 and 12 May at the Altice Arena in Lisbon, Portugal.