User:AzazeltiT (Titlezaza)/sandbox/OASC25

Own Asiavision Song Contest 25, often referred to as OASC #25, is the 25th edition of Own Asiavision Song Contest. It took place in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, following G5SH and Lily's win in the 24th edition with the song "Limelights". It was the second time Taiwan had hosted the contest, having previously done so in the ninth edition. Organised by the Own Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union and host broadcaster Taiwan Television, the contest was held at the Kaohsiung Arena, and consisted of two semi-finals and the final. The three live shows were hosted by Abao.

A total of forty-eight countries participated in the contest. French Polynesia and Tonga returned to the competition, while Hong Kong, Mongolia, New Zealand, Qatar, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Vanuatu withdrew for various reasons.

The winner was Oman with the song "Let Me Know" performed by No Wyld. This was country's first victory, as well as top 10 placement. The podium was completed by United Arab Emirates and Iraq, which achieved its best result. Japan, Palestine and Pakistan, the latest one also equaling its best result, rounded up the top 6. Tuvalu managed to achieve a new best result after qualifying for the first time and placing 18th in the final. Kiribati also achieved their best result to date, despite failing to qualify to the final, placing 15th in the semi-final. The host nation Taiwan finished on the 13th place, being also the best scoring automatic qualifier of the edition. The edition marked the first time that French Polynesia failed to qualify for the final.

Location
Further information on the host country: Taiwan

Host City
Kaohsiung City is a special municipality in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban centre to the rural Yushan Range with an area of 2,952 km2. Kaohsiung city has a population of approximately 2.77 million people and is Taiwan's third most populous city and largest city in southern Taiwan.

Since founding in the 17th century, Kaohsiung has grown from a small trading village into the political and economic centre of southern Taiwan, with key industries such as manufacturing, steel-making, oil refining, freight transport and shipbuilding. It is classified as a "Gamma -" level global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network, with some of the most prominent infrastructures in Taiwan. The Port of Kaohsiung is the largest and busiest harbour in Taiwan while Kaohsiung International Airport is the second busiest airport in number of passengers. The city is well-connected to other major cities by high speed and conventional rail, as well as several national freeways. It also hosts the Republic of China Navy fleet headquarters and its naval academy. More recent public works such as Pier-2 Art Center, National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts and Kaohsiung Music Center have been aimed at growing the tourism and cultural industries of the city.

Venue
The Kaohsiung Arena is an indoor sporting arena located in Zuoying District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It is used to host indoor sporting events. It was used as a host to some of the indoor sporting events during the 2009 World Games. Local people give the nickname of Kaohsiung Arena as the Big Egg due to its shape and resemblance of an egg. Kaohsiung Arena was opened on 27 September 2008. Kaohsiung Arena covers an area of 57,037 m2 and has a capacity of 15,000 people. It stands to a height of 42 meters over 6 floors. It also features a 100,000 m2 open space adjacent to it.

Semi-final Allocation Draw
The draw to determine the allocation of the participating countries into their respective semi-finals took place on 14 February 2021. The first part of the draw determined in which semi-final the Big Six would have to vote. The second part of the draw decided in which half of the respective semi-finals each country would perform, with the exact running order determined by the producers of the show at a later date. Twenty-one countries participated in each semi-final. From each semi-final, ten countries joined the "Big 6" in the final, where a total of twenty-six countries participated.

The forty-two semi-finalists were allocated into six pots, based on their geographical place and cultural similarities. Drawing from different pots helps in reducing the chance of so-called neighbour voting and increasing suspense in the semi-finals. Each time a country was drawn from the pot, its semi-final and half of the semi-final was determined.

The six pots were the following:

Semi-final 1
Twenty-one countries participated in the first semi-final. Laos, Tajikistan and Thailand also voted in this semi-final.

Semi-final 2
Twenty-one countries participated in the second semi-final. Indonesia, New Caledonia and Taiwan also voted in this semi-final.

Final
Twenty-six countries participated in the final, with all 48 participating countries eligible to vote.

Other countries
Eligibility for potential participation in the Own Asiavision Song Contest requires a national broadcaster with active OABU membership that would be able to broadcast the contest. As in every edition, an invitation to all the members has been sent in order to confirm whether they will participate or not.


 * 🇭🇰 Hong Kong: The country was forced to withdraw following the permanent departure of its former head of delegation.
 * 🇲🇳 Mongolia: The broadcaster announced the country would be withdrawing an hour after the confirmation deadline had passed.
 * 🇳🇿 New Zealand: The broadcaster failed to submit an entry by the deadline and thus was automatically withdrawn from the edition.
 * 🇶🇦 Qatar: The broadcaster announced that they were taking a one edition break.
 * 🇸🇬 Singapore: The broadcaster announced that they were taking a one edition break.
 * 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka: Although Nilusi was chosen as their representative, the broadcaster failed to confirm her entry by the deadline and thus was forced to withdraw from the edition.
 * 🇻🇺 Vanuatu: The broadcaster failed to announce whether it intended to participate or not and thus it was fined by the council.