Four Nordic Nations Boycott Eurovision 1970

MAY 15 1970 · 12:00

Norway, Sweden, Finland, Portugal (boycotted) · "N/A" · Multiple · 1970 Language: N/A · Venue: RAI Congrescentrum · Host: Amsterdam, Netherlands · Type: boycott · Broadcast: color analog In response to the four-way tie outcome of Eurovision 1969 and Austria's 1969 boycott of Franco's Madrid, four Nordic countries — Norway, Sweden, Finland — plus Portugal withdraw from Eurovision 1970. Their stated objections: 'the current voting system is producing absurd results' and 'the contest has become politically compromised'. Amsterdam hosts with just 12 countries. Dana wins for Ireland with 'All Kinds of Everything'. Context The 1969 four-way tie had produced Lulu/Salomé/Lenny Kuhr/Frida Boccara as joint winners. The Nordic broadcasters' coordinated withdrawal was a statement that Eurovision needed structural reform. Portugal's boycott was driven by its own political complications (still Estado Novo at the time). Legacy The EBU responded with new tiebreaker rules (1971) and continued expansion of the voting pool. All four boycotting nations returned in 1971. The 1970 card is often cited alongside Austria 1969 and subsequent political absences as a precedent-setting period when Eurovision's institutional rules were actively shaped by national walkouts.