! ! ! ! ! EUROVISION SONG CONTEST OFFICIAL FLAG POLICY ! This!document!provides!Eurovision!Song!Contest!(ESC)!ticket!holders,!and!particularly!the!fans!on! the! arena! floor,! clear! guidance! on! which! flags! are! permitted! and! which! conditions! they! have! to! meet.!The!flag!policy!has!been!approved!by!the!ESC!Reference!Group!and!may!be!enforced!by! local! security,! arena! staff,! EBU! officials! and! Host! Broadcaster! representatives! (hereafter! “the! organisers”).! ! Flags&allowed& ! Maximum!size!flag!without!stick:!! 120!x!80!cm! Maximum!size!flag!with!stick:!!! 60!x!40!cm! Maximum!length!of!the!stick:!! ! 50!cm!excl.!flag!(only!plastic!sticks,!no!metal/wood)! ! •! Official!national!flags!of!the!42!participating!countries!(preferred),!as!well!as!the!flags!of! countries!that!have!recently!taken!part!(e.g.!Turkey,!Portugal,!Romania)U! •! Official!national!flags!of!other!countries,!provided!the!respective!country!is!a!Member!of! the!United!Nations!(see!http://www.un.org/en/memberWstates/!for!an!updated!list).! ! Rainbow!flags!and!the!European!Union!flag!will!be!tolerated!provided!they!will,!according!to!the! evaluation!of!the!organisers,!not(be!used!as!tool!to!intentionally!make!a!political!statement!during! the!show.!Particularly,!the!organisers!request!and!urge!the!fan!community!to!respect!and! appreciate!the!nonWpolitical!nature!of!the!Eurovision!Song!Contest.! ! Banned&flags/banners& ! Flags/banners!that!do!not!meet!the!above!specificationsU! Local,!regional!or!provincial!flagsU! Flags/banners!containing!commercial!messagesU! Flags/banners!containing!and/or!representing!a!statement!that!the!organisers!consider!of! political!or!religious!nature,!in!particular!flags!of!disputed!territoriesU! •! Flags/banners!containing!statements!or!images!that!the!organisers!consider!offensive,! discriminatory!or!unsuitable!for!the!publicU! •! Flags/banners!containing!statements!in!another!language!than!EnglishU! •! Flags/banners/objects,!such!as!selfie!sticks,!that!otherwise!obstruct!the!view!of!the! cameras,!production!crew!or!other!ticket!holders.! •! •! •! •! ! Confiscated&flags/objects&will¬&be&returned.&Bringing&in&flags/objects&that&do¬&meet& the&requirements&of&this&policy&may&lead&to&removal&from&the&venue.&& ! Be!advised!that!in!addition!to!the!flag!policy,!ticket!holders!must!at!all!times!follow!instructions! given!by!the!organisers,!and!that!additional!terms!may!apply,!such!as,!but!not!limited!to,! instructions!given!on!the!ticket!or!during!the!ticket!buying!process.! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! BANNED FLAGS ! The!following!flags!are!specifically! not!allowed!at!the!Eurovision!Song!Contest.!This!list!is!nonW exhaustive:! ! Kosovo! ! ! NagornoWKarabach! ! ! Basque! ! ! Islamic!State! ! ! Crimea! ! ! ! ! Note!the!broad!white!band!(not!to!confuse!with! the! flags! of! France,! The! Netherlands,! Serbia,! Russia!that!have!white!bands!of!1/3rd!the!flag! size)! ! ! ! ! ! ! Palestine! ! ! People’s!Republic!of!Donetsk! ! ! Northern!Cyprus! ! Not! to! confuse! with! the! Turkish! flag,! which! is! primarily!red!with!white!elements.! ! Transnistria! ! ! ! ! As!approved!by!the!ESC!Reference!Group,!xx!April,!2016.!