- Title: AZERBAIJAN: Baku elated with first ever Eurovision song contest victory
- Date: 16th May 2011
- Summary: FANS REACTING AS WINNING POINTS ANNOUNCED FANS JUMPING AND CHANTING AZERI FLAG IN FRONT OF SCREEN MAN DANCING ON TABLE MAN AND WOMAN DANCING AND WAVING FLAG AS CARS WERE DRIVING BY AND HONKING VARIOUS OF VEHICLES DRIVING IN THE STREETS AND HONKING THEIR HORNS PEOPLE WATCHING AND WAVING FROM BALCONIES VARIOUS OF PEOPLE CHEERING IN STREETS VARIOUS OF PEOPLE (SOUNDB
- Embargoed: 31st May 2011 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan
- Country: Azerbaijan
- Topics: Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA319WLBXC1YKJ6RHQM9TMQLLCO
- Story Text: A huge victory for a small nation, Azeris are over the moon after winning the Eurovision song contest with a romantic ballad.
They watched in bars in the Azerbaijani capital Baku on Saturday night (May 14), flags waiving, hoping for their nation's love song, Running Scared, would get as many points as possible in a competition pitting 43 nations against each other for the best of the year.
They were amongst an audience of more than 100 million people.
Azerbaijan's entry was a song about a love-struck couple. It was performed by 21-year-old student Eldar Gasimov and Nigar Jamal, 30, a mother-of-two who lives in London.
When the panel announced that he duo, known as Ell-Nikki, won a total 221 points the bar exploded into cheer.
Widely heralded pre-contest favourites Ireland, Britain and France all had disappointing results.
The Azeri entry had Swedish touches. It was composed by Swedes Stefan Orn, Sandra Bjurman and Iain Farquharson and four Swedish dancers accompanied Ell-Nikki.
Jamal, who has an economics degree, said it was hard to grasp the fairytale victory for Azerbaijan, a former Soviet republic of eight million that regained independence in 1991.
Outside the little bar, the streets of Baku were flooded by screaming crowds pouring and drivers honking their horns as they circled downtown.
"I congratulate Nigar and Eldar with this wonderful day! I congratulate the whole Azeri nation with this fantastic festive occasion! Yes, we are the best! We were the best from the very beginning. And we have won it!" said Uzeir Guseinov, who ran to the central square to join the celebrating nation.
The extravaganza, dubbed the world's biggest music competition with one of television's largest audiences, was beamed to countries from the Atlantic Ocean to the Caspian Sea -- and to nations around the world that were not even competing. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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