Eurovision 2023: Cardiff out of race for song contest

Cardiff has dropped out of the running to host Eurovision in 2023.

Officials said staging the song contest would have meant cancelling a “significant number” of other events next spring.

In a joint statement Cardiff council, the Welsh government, and the Principality Stadium said it would not be possible for a bid to go forward.

The UK will host the contest after organisers said it could not be held in winning country Ukraine due to the war.

It comes after musicians and politicians had backed calls for the Welsh capital to host the competition in 2023.

The council, Welsh government and stadium said Cardiff had a “very strong record in hosting major events”, and the stadium would have been “a natural fit for such a significant production”.

But they said its complexity would have led to other events being called off, such as the European Wheelchair Rugby Championships.

They said they had been in talks with the BBC to look at options, but could not find “a workable solution”.

As event organisers, the BBC had released detailed specifications for each city wishing to bid.

The UK has a number of cities with the arenas, accommodation, and international transport links to host the competition, with London, Sheffield and Manchester already confirming plans to make an official bid.

Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, Birmingham, Aberdeen, Brighton, Bristol, Belfast and Nottingham are also considered possible contenders.