Velnakin World Song Contest 22

The **Velnakin World Song Contest 22** was the 22nd edition of theVelnakin World Song Contest musical event. The contest took place in Sydney, Australia, following Australian Delta Goodrem's victory in the 21st edition. This was the second time that Australia hosted the contest; its 18th edition was held in Melbourne. The 22nd contest consisted of three semi-finals, which took place on 9, 10 and 11 January 2016, and a final, held on 4 February 2016. The shows were presented by Guy Sebastian while Delta was hosting the green room. Forty-five countries participated in the contest, with China, Czech Republic, Finland, Macedonia, Iceland, Ireland, Lebanon, Malta and Slovenia returning. Unfortunately, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Iran, Switzerland and Turkey announced their withdrawal due to several reasons.

After a tense voting, Mexico won the contest for the third time.

## Location

Further information: Australia

**Sydney**

**Australia** (/ɒˈstreɪliə/, /ə-/, colloquially /-jə/), officially known as the Commonwealth of Australia, is an Oceanian country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area. Neighbouring countries include Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east.

For about 50,000 years before the first British settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who spoke languages grouped into roughly 250 language groups. After the European discovery of the continent by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia's eastern half was claimed by Great Britain in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales from 26 January 1788. The population grew steadily in subsequent decades; the continent was explored and an additional five self-governing crown colonies were established. On 1 January 1901, the six colonies federated, forming the Commonwealth of Australia. Since federation, Australia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system that functions as a federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy comprising six states and several territories. The population of 24 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated in the eastern states and on the coast.

Australia is a developed country and one of the wealthiest in the world, with the world's 12th-largest economy. In 2014 Australia had the world's fifth-highest per capita income. Australia's military expenditure is the world's 13th-largest. With the second-highest human development index globally, Australia ranks highly in many international comparisons of national performance, such as quality of life, health, education, economic freedom, and the protection of civil liberties and political rights. Australia is a member of the United Nations, G20, Commonwealth of Nations, ANZUS, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), World Trade Organization, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and the Pacific Islands Forum.

The contest took place in Sydney. Sydney (/ˈsɪdni/) is the state capital of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds the world's largest natural harbour, and sprawls towards the Blue Mountains to the west. Residents of Sydney are known as "Sydneysiders". Sydney is the second official seat and second official residence of the Governor-General of Australia, the Prime Minister of Australia and the Cabinet of Australia.

The Sydney area has been inhabited by indigenous Australians since the Upper Paleolithic period. The first British settlers arrived in 1788 to found Sydney as a penal colony, the first European settlement in Australia. Since convict transportation ended in the mid-19th century, the city has transformed from a colonial outpost into a major global cultural and economic centre.

The population of Sydney at the time of the 2011 census was 4.39 million, 1.5 million of which were born overseas, representing many different nationalities and making Sydney one of the most multicultural cities in the world. There are more than 250 different languages spoken in Sydney and about one-third of residents speak a language other than English at home.

Sydney has an advanced market economy with strengths in finance, manufacturing and tourism. Its gross regional product was $337 billion in 2013, the largest in Australia. There is a significant concentration of foreign banks and multinational corporations in Sydney and the city is promoted as Asia Pacific's leading financial hub. In addition to hosting events such as the 2000 Summer Olympics, millions of tourists come to Sydney each year to see the city's landmarks. Sydney is also a gateway to Australia for many international visitors. Its natural features include Sydney Harbour, the Royal National Park, Bondi Beach, and the Royal Botanic Gardens. Man-made attractions such as the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge are also well known to international visitors.

## Venue

The venue for the 22nd edition was the Sydney Super Dome. Sydney Super Dome (currently also known as allphones arena) is a large multipurpose arena located in Sydney, Australia. It is situated in Sydney Olympic Park, and was completed in 1999 as part of the facilities for the 2000 Summer Olympics. The AU$190‑million facility was designed and constructed by Abigroup Ltd and Obayashi Corporation with environmental factors in mind;[1] however, the air-conditioner unit for the facility used HCFCs and was said to be a breach of the Green Guidelines for the Olympics. Bob Carr, premier of New South Wales, officially opened the stadium in November 1999.

The development of the stadium was part of three subsites which also included a 3,400-space carpark which cost A$25 million, and a plaza with external works, also costing $25 million. The roof's masts reach 42 metres (138 ft) above ground level, and the stadium occupies a site of 20,000 m2 (220,000 sq ft; 4.9 acres).

The arena is ranked in the top 10 arenas worldwide. For three consecutive years the venue has been a finalist for the Billboard Touring Awards in the top venue category.

The arena has a total capacity of 21,000 with a seating capacity of around 18,000 making the Super Dome the largest permanent indoor sports and entertainment venue in Australia.

## Participants

### Semifinal 1

14 countries took part in the first semi-final. Spain and Mexico voted in this semi-final. The eight songs in places 1 to 8 qualified for the final and are marked in orange. The songs placed 9th and 10th qualified for the Second Chance Round .

  Qualifiers Grand Final

  Qualifiers Second Chance Round

### Semifinal 2

14 countries took part in the second semi-final. Australia and Spain voted in this semi-final. The eight songs in places 1 to 8 qualified for the final and are marked in orange. The songs placed 9th and 10th qualified for the Second Chance Round .

  Qualifiers Grand Final

  Qualifiers Second Chance Round

### Semifinal 3

14 countries took part in the third semi-final. Australia and Mexico voted in this semi-final. The eight songs in places 1 to 8 qualified for the final and are marked in orange. The songs placed 9th and 10th qualified for the Second Chance Round .

  Qualifiers Grand Final

  Qualifiers Second Chance Round

### Second Chance Round

6 countries took part in the second chance round. 11 countries voted in this round. The country that placed first in the second chance qualified for the Grand Final. Albania and United States of America didn't vote, so they were disqualified.

## Scoreboard

### Semifinal 1

#### 12 points

Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points each country awarded to another in the first semifinal:

  Peru | Mexico

### Semifinal 2

#### 12 points

Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points each country awarded to another in the second semifinal:

### Semifinal 3

#### 12 points

Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points each country awarded to another in the third semifinal:

### Final

#### 12 points

Below is a summary of the maximum 12 points each country awarded to another in the Grand Final: