Though the official decision of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the National Television Company of Ukraine (NTU) about the venue for the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 has not yet been confirmed, according to GZT.ru and forUm, it was taken on Thursday, September 2nd, and it entrusts the responsibility of hosting the 50th Eurovision Song Contest next year to the Sports Palace in Kiev.
The Kiev Sports Palace was chosen after the representatives of the EBU and NTU had finished another on-site review of the three proposed venues. As it has been reported before, the main competitor of the Sports Palace for the right to host the Concert was the Exposition Centre on the left bank of the Dnieper river.
Though the area of the Sports Palace is about 7 thousand square meters (in contrast to the Exposition Centre with it 20 thousand square meters), the members of the EBU noticed the convenient location of the Palace: �It�s the first time when the Contest will take place in the centre of the city, side by side with the hotels, restaurants, and other objects.� The Sports Palace faces the entrance of a metro station that bears the same name.
Another factor that influenced the EBU decision was the rental fee for the venue, which is less than the one for the Exposition Centre. In addition, some members of the EBU were skeptical about the erection of the new venue for the Eurovision Song Contest, noting that there were still other matters to be solved, which were of the same importance and also required considerable funds.
Thus, Thursday marked the first meeting of the EBU during their Kiev visit, in the course of which the chief of the NTU, Oleksandr Savenko also informed the representatives of the Supervisory Board about the preparation of the NTU to the Eurovision Song Contest 2005. On Friday, the Board continued its work.
