Speaking to the news agency TASS, Mikhail Shvydkoy, the Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for International Cultural Cooperation, claimed that Saudi partners currently see no reason to scrap the project. "As of today, Saudi Arabia sees no reason to cancel this project," Shvydkoy said.
The statement is an attempt to project stability for the music competition.
The Russian official's optimism comes at a time of severe disruption in the Gulf. Since the outbreak of large-scale military operations in February 2026, the region has seen significant impacts on its international schedule, such as the Formula 1 officially cancelling the 2026 Saudi Arabian and Bahrain Grands Prix earlier this month due to security concerns stemming from the conflict. Ongoing strikes on regional infrastructure have led many international organisations to reconsider large-scale gatherings in the Middle East.
While Riyadh has not issued a fresh public confirmation through its own state media regarding the contest's status since the war escalated, Shvydkoy’s remarks suggest that Russian organisers are pushing to keep the event on the 2026 calendar.
Written by Manios Themis
Intervision Song Contest specialist. Combines a Computer Science background with exhaustive knowledge of every edition (1965 Golden Clef, 1977–1980 Sopot era, 2025 revival, and Saudi Arabia 2026). Author and curator of the most complete independent Intervision archive online.
Full bio
.jpg)
0 Comments