Mia Krifi Evesthisia

Greece competed in the Eurovision Song Contest 1998, held on 9 May 1998 in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The Greek broadcaster Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) organised a public selection process to determine its entry for the contest. Eight semi-finals culminated in a 7 March final round where Thalassa was selected with the song "Mia krifi evaisthisia". Performing second in the running order at the contest, they finished in 20th place out of the 25 countries competing. This marked a new record for the least successful placement of the nation.

Background

The Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) is the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) member for Greece and is responsible for selection of the nation's entry. Prior to the 1998 contest, Greece had participated 20 times since its debut entry in . By 1998, its best result was fifth place which was achieved twice: in with the song "Mathima solfege" performed by the band Paschalis, Marianna, Robert and Bessy and in with "Olou tou kosmou i Elpida" performed by Cleopatra. Greece's least successful result was in when it placed 19th with the song "Horis skopo" by Christos Callow and Wave, receiving only 11 points in total.

Before Eurovision

National final

Before the final, eight semi-finals were held at the ERT TV Studios in Athens, hosted by Giorgos Marinos. Televoting selected the winning song in each semi-final to qualify for the final.

Semi-finals

Final

The final was held on 7 March 1998 at the ERT TV Studios in Athens, hosted by Giorgos Marinos. The winner was chosen by televoting. At the end of the event, Dionisia Karoki and Thalassa were selected to represent Greece with the Greek-language song "Mia krifi evaisthisia" (). Following the selection, the group did not receive promotional support for the entry and they were not signed to a record label.

At Eurovision

The Eurovision Song Contest 1998 took place at National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, United Kingdom, on 9 May 1998. Following confirmation of the 25-country participant list, the running order for the contest was decided by a draw held on 13 November 1997; Greece was assigned to perform second, following and preceding .

In the lead up to the event, the song's composer, Yiannis Valvis, was not happy with the way the group's performance was to be filmed and demanded changes. When his demands were not met, the group threatened to quit the contest on the morning of the final day of rehearsals, and on the afternoon, they pulled out. Only minutes after their withdrawal, however, the group returned to the green room, having decided to go through with the performance after all, without the composer watching them on stage. Valvis was not permitted to attend the contest, on account of his aggressive behavior. He watched the contest locked inside his hotel room with two security guards guarding his door.

Heading into the final of the contest, BBC reported that bookmakers ranked the entry 22nd out of the 25 entries. The Greek spokesperson announcing the nation's votes was Alexis Kostalas who, with the exceptions of and in which Greece did not participate, would serve as spokesperson until . At the close of voting, "Mia krifi evaisthisia" received only 12 points in total, all from Cyprus, placing Greece 20th out of the 25 entries. This was the worst result for Greece in the contest at this point, and remained as so until 2016. Following this result, Greece was relegated from participation in 1999 contest.

Voting

References

{{Eurovision Song Contest 1998

1998
Countries in the Eurovision Song Contest 1998
Eurovision