Bookmakers have made Ukraine hot favourites to win this year's Eurovision Song Contest in Turin.
International bookies believe the Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra, which is competing with the song 'Stefania,' will win the competition, as many viewers around the continent will see their vote as a declaration of solidarity with Ukraine.
The German betting company Unibet, for example, offered odds for a win of 2-1 on Monday, meaning it will pay out €20 ($22) for a stake of €10 in the event of a Ukrainian victory.
In mid-February, Ukraine, which still has to qualify for the May 14 final in one of the semi-finals on May 10 and 12, was still in mid-table in an overall ranking by some bookmakers.
In second place were Mahmood & Blanco, with odds of 4 or 5-1, who will represent the host country Italy in Turin with their song 'Brividi' ('Shivers').
The singers won the traditional Sanremo music festival in February - and have a good chance of repeating Måneskin's success in last year's Eurovision, according to the bookmakers.
Sweden in third place
Sweden's Cornelia Jakobs, who will compete with the song 'Hold Me Closer,' was in third place with odds of 8-1.
Germany's participant Malik Harris, singing 'Rockstars,' was in 24th place in the ranking on Monday among the total of 40 nations who have entered Eurovision.
This year's Eurovision has already been strongly influenced by the Ukraine war. For example, the Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra was selected after the original candidate Alina Pash visited the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2015.
Russia has been excluded from this year's Eurovision by the organizer - the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) - after the invasion of Ukraine.
