Strict rules for flags at the ESC due to fire in Crans-Montana
Keystone-SDA
The fire disaster in Crans-Montana in southwestern Switzerland has also had an impact on the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna. Only flame-retardant flags will be permitted at the event in mid-May. In addition to tickets, fans must also present certificates for the flags.
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The audience at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Vienna will only be allowed to wave non-flammable flags and banners. The official ticket distributor of the ESC, Oeticket, justified this with stricter fire safety rules following the disaster in the “Le Constellation” bar in the Valais ski resort of Crans-Montana.
On New Year’s Eve 41 people died in the fire and more than 115 were injured.
+ Last Crans-Montana victim leaves Zurich Children’s Hospital
As a result, fans will only be allowed to bring flags to the ESC shows in May if they can present certificates for the prescribed fire safety standards when entering the Vienna Stadthalle, a spokeswoman for the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) told the German Press Agency.
The music competition will be held in Austria to mark the 70th anniversary of the ESC, after the Austrian countertenor JJ won in Basel last year. The roughly 90,000 tickets for the semi-final and final shows as well as the preliminary performances have been practically sold out since January.
Adapted from German by AI/ts
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