And then there were three: Either Kyiv, Dnipro or Odessa will be the Eurovision 2017 host city.

Speaking at the announcement event this morning in Kyiv, Victoria Romanova — the deputy director general of NTU and Ukraine’s Head of Delegation for Eurovision — said that none of the bids were 100% ideal and that every city had areas to work on. But after careful consideration of the arenas, security situation, availability of hotels, local airports and financial viability, they decided these three cities presented the best overall package for Eurovision 2017.

Owing to the strength of the bids, this is one more finalist than the original two NTU said they would announce previously.

Discussing today’s announcement:

Eurovision 2016 winner Jamala spoke briefly. She said her only memory of Eurovision in Stockholm was the arena, so emphasised how important the venue is, and said she would respect and accept any decision made by the Organising Committee (despite previously coming out in favour of Odessa).

Kyiv has been considered a front-runner from the very beginning, and Odessa emerged as a dark horse after Jamala threw her weight behind the city. Dnipro, a surprise to many, is currently constructing its EuroArena, which could fit 9,500 guests, and that may have helped push it into the final. During today’s final presentations, the mayor stressed that the city had helped fend off aggression from Russia in the Spring.

Choosing the Eurovision 2017 host city

NTU kicked off its search for the Eurovision 2017 host city earlier this summer, with six candidates — Kyiv, Lviv, Odessa, Dnipro, Kharkiv and Kherson — submitting bids. On July 20 each city presented their proposals on “City Battle” — a chance for them to win over organisers and the public ahead of today’s reveal. You can see how they sold themselves here.

Ukraine’s First Channel has said that the winner will be announced on July 27, after officials from the EBU and NTU visit each of the three finalist cities.

Kyiv

Kyiv has proposed renovating the Palace of Sports, which hosted Eurovision 2005 and Junior Eurovision 2009, with the capacity reaching 10,000 spectators. It’s located near four Metro stations and several large hotels, and EuroClub, the press centre and Eurovision Village, will all be within walking distance.

Asked about the European Hockey Championships, which will take place at the arena in late April — too near to Eurovision to make the venue practical — Mr. Reznikov said that Kyiv’s priority is Eurovision.

The Exhibition Centre is another possible venue, owing to its huge capacity of 50,000. In recent days, there has been much talk about the Olympic Stadium and its chances of hosting Eurovision. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to put a roof on this massive building, which seats 70,000, so it was not included on Kyiv’s list.

Dnipro

Dnipro, known as Dnipropetrovsk until May 2016, rests on the banks of the Dnieper River and is known primarily for its industrial sector. In the 1940s the Soviets built a military machine-building factory in the city. In the 1980s one plant manufactured 67 kinds of space ships and a variety of space rocket systems (which could have come in handy for Lidia Isac’s Eurovision 2016 performance).

Odessa

Odessa is situated on the banks of Black Sea, near Moldova. It’s so close we think you might just be able to feel the vibrations of Epic Sax Guy thrusting across the border. Ukraine’s third-largest city is an architectural gem that at times seems more Mediterranean than post-Soviet, as it serves Italian, French and Bohemian-style realness. The only suitable venue in “Odessa mama”, as the locals call their city, is the Chernomorets Stadium, a football arena that has a capacity of 34,000. And guess what: It doesn’t have a roof! But officials have said plans are underway to get one.

What do you think? Do you agree with the organisers’ decision?

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