Eurovision Song Contest 1986

Eurovision Song Contest 1986
Dates
Final3 May 1986
Host
VenueGrieghallen
Bergen, Norway
Presenter(s)Åse Kleveland
Musical directorEgil Monn-Iversen
Directed byJohn Andreassen
Executive supervisorFrank Naef
Executive producerHarald Tusberg
Host broadcasterNorsk rikskringkasting (NRK)
Websiteeurovision.tv/event/bergen-1986 Edit this at Wikidata
Participants
Number of entries20
Debuting countries Iceland
Returning countries
Non-returning countries
  • A coloured map of the countries of EuropeBelgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986Italy in the Eurovision Song ContestNetherlands in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986Monaco in the Eurovision Song ContestLuxembourg in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986Greece in the Eurovision Song ContestMalta in the Eurovision Song ContestAustria in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986France in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986Turkey in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986Yugoslavia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986Morocco in the Eurovision Song ContestCyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986
         Competing countries     Countries that participated in the past but not in 1986
Vote
Voting systemEach country awarded 12, 10, 8-1 point(s) to their 10 favourite songs
Winning song Belgium
"J'aime la vie"
1985 ← Eurovision Song Contest → 1987

The Eurovision Song Contest 1986 was the 31st edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It was held in Bergen, Norway, following the country's victory at the 1985 contest with the song "La det swinge" by Bobbysocks! Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Norsk rikskringkasting (NRK), the contest was held at Grieghallen on 3 May 1986 and was hosted by previous Norwegian contestant Åse Kleveland.

Twenty countries took part in this year's contest with Greece and Italy deciding not to participate and Yugoslavia and Netherlands returning. Iceland also competed for the first time this year.

The winner was Belgium with the song "J'aime la vie" by Sandra Kim. Belgium was the last of the original 7 countries that had competed in the first contest to win. Aged 13, Kim was the youngest ever Eurovision winner. Current rules require Eurovision Song Contest participants to be at least 16, so unless the rule is changed, Kim's record will never be broken. The lyrics of her song implied that Kim was 15 years of age, but after the contest, it was revealed that she was actually 13. Switzerland, who finished second, appealed for her to be disqualified, but was not successful.[citation needed]

The 1986 contest was a first for Eurovision in that royalty were among the guests—Crown Prince Harald, Crown Princess Sonja, Princess Märtha Louise and Prince Haakon Magnus were all in attendance.