Thousands of tickets for the Eurovision song contest are to be allocated to Ukrainians who have fled to the UK, according to the Guardian.
The international music show will take place at the M&S Bank Arena Liverpool in May after the city was chosen to host the competition on behalf of the 2022 winner, Ukraine, which is unable to host the event after the Russian invasion.
As part of the UK’s commitment to honour Ukraine at the song contest, about 3,000 tickets will be made available to displaced Ukrainians so they can attend the live shows.
The UK government has also announced £10m in funding to “help ensure the event truly showcases Ukrainian culture” on the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of the country. The money will support Liverpool city council and the BBC’s partnerships with Ukrainian artists and performers to create a show “celebrating music and how it unites people from around the world”.
It will also support security, visa arrangements and other operational aspects of the contest, as well as Liverpool city council’s schools, community and volunteering programmes. The culture secretary, Lucy Frazer, said: “Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine means the contest cannot be held where it should be. But we are honoured to be supporting the BBC and Liverpool in hosting it on their behalf, and are determined to make sure the Ukrainian people are at the heart of this event.
“Today’s announcement means that thousands of tickets will be offered to those displaced by war, so that they can take part in a show honouring their homeland, their culture and their music. “As always, we stand together with the Ukrainian people and their fight for freedom.”