esctoday.com has received confirmation that San Marino will be joining the Eurovision family next year in Belgrade. The Sammarinese public broadcaster SMTV has applied to take part in the forthcoming Eurovision Song Contest.

The rumours concerning the possible participation of the tiny Republic of San Marino in Eurovision have finally come true. esctoday.com announced weeks ago that the country was preparing for participation, and we have received confirmation that the national TV broadcaster, Televisione della Republica di San Marino, has sent an application with the aim of presenting their own candidate for the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest.

With the uncertainty on San Marino cleared up, the attention turns now to Italy. The Sammarinese Television board and the Italian public broadcaster, RAI, share common people in their respective boards. Could this mean that a possible return for Italy is close?

esctoday.com spoke to the head of OGAE Italy after the news was confirmed. The news will be of special importance to the club's members, after their home country withdrew from the competition in 1997. The clubs members are especially pleased, as San Marino is a country within Italy's borders and members are likely to adopt the country as their own for this year's competition. Culturally, they are similar and of course, they share a common language. Members are said to be delighted and there is now greater hope for a return of Italy in the near future.

Stay tuned to esctoday.com to know the latest developments about the San Marino participation in Eurovision 2008. The full list of participants will be published on eurovision.tv at the end of December.

Sammarinese and Italian readers wanting information about joining the local OGAE fan club branch, or readers wanting information about their own local branch, please email [email protected]