For some time, it has been a tradition in the Eurovision Song Contest for certain countries to be seen as each other's musical 'rivals' in the battle for points and placings. But just how much truth is there in this? And how do the traditional opponents fare when compared against each other? esctoday.com's Alex Keecha pits six neighbourly rivals against each other in this article.
United Kingdom and France
Both countries have been entering the Eurovision Song Contest for a very long time, and both have won and ended up in the bottom two on various occasions. In recent years both have been doing poorly, with France just pipping the UK lately in the points stakes. The UK has five wins in the contest, equal to France's record, andended up second a record 15 times, so perhaps France have a bit of catching up to do.
The last time both countries did well was back in 2002, when the UK finished in joint third (fourth on point differences) with France just behind in fifth position.
Latvia and Estonia
Both countries have clocked up one win each. However, in recent years, Estonia has faltered, not even making the final since the semifinal was introduced in 2004. Latvia, on the other hand, managed to scrape through the semifinal of 2005 in tenth place, then sail to a fifth place in the final. Fans are eagerly awaiting an Estonian comeback in 2007.
Greece and Turkey
Only fairly recently have Turkey and Greece been exchanging their points at the Eurovision Song Contest, given a history of difficult relations between the two countries, especially over the control of Cyprus. Both nations also share a Eurovision Song Contest history full of ups and downs, with Turkey beating Greece as the clearest underdog of past contests. Greece have yet to come last at a contest, while Turkey has finished bottom on three occasions (1975, 1983 and 1987). With a win each in the last five years (and receivinghigh points from the other in the process), things are looking up for both countries.
With new countries and new neighbours entering the friendly fight, there are bound to be other examples of the hopefully friendly rivalry between nations in the future. Can you think of any more examples? Go on – I dare you!
