Australian singer Montaigne barred from flying to Rotterdam for Eurovision

Australian Eurovision entrant Montaigne will not be able to fly to the Netherlands for the 65th edition of the song contest, due to travel restrictions imposed by the Australian government. The 25-year-old singer will therefore participate through the ‘Live On Tape‘ performance, Eurovision officials stated on Twitter.

"After a comprehensive assessment, we decided not to send an Australian delegation and artist to Rotterdam for the Eurovision Song Contest this year. We came to this difficult decision after considering the challenges of the ongoing pandemic, including the many factors involved in traveling to and from the event from Australia", Australian broadcaster SBS stated.

All 39 participating countries in this year's contest have already recorded their performance in advance, which could be used in case more delegations are unable to attend the live event. The broadcaster SBS is a member of the European Broadcasting Union, and as such won the right to participate in Eurovision through 2023.

"We regret that we are not able to welcome Montaigne to Rotterdam in May. However, we understand the unique challenges presented to the hard-working Australian delegation who have until the very end tried their utmost to make their presence in the Netherlands possible. Australia has always brought diversity, excitement and energy to the Eurovision Song Contest and despite their team being far away this year they will be close to all our hearts in Rotterdam", Eurovision Executive Supervisor Martin Osterdahl said.

It was previously announced the Eurovision Song Contest at Rotterdam Ahoy in May will be a Fieldlab event experiment that can allow about half of the planned number of spectators. Due to the current coronavirus travel restrictions, fans from outside the Netherlands will not be able to attend the shows.

Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Ahoy in Rotterdam from May 18-22.