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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Entertainment
Sophie McCoid

Why Czech Republic's Eurovision entry competes under Czechia

The Eurovision Grand Final is set to take place later today and excitement is reaching fever pitch across Liverpool.

26 acts are set to take to the stage at the M&S Bank Arena in a bid to be crowned winners of this year's contest. One of the acts vying to be victorious is Vesna with their song My Sister's Crown.

Vesna caused confusion among some viewers of the semi-finals as they compete for Czechia, with some people unsure where this country actually is.

READ MORE: Order your 48-page Eurovision souvenir guide from our online shop

Czechia is the name that the Czech Republic now wishes to be used as the country's name. Czechia and the Czech Republic have both been used to describe the country since 2016, but now the country wishes to be referred to as Czechia in less formal settings, such as the Eurovision Song Contest.

The Czech Republic will now only be used as the name in official government documents and legal correspondence.

Czechia will now be used in less formal settings, such as for people representing the country in sport, music or film. Czechia is also thought to be more marketable, making it easier for the name to be used in advertising campaigns for products such as beer.

The country has previously undergone a name change. It was known as Bohemia for many years, before becoming known as Czechoslovakia, before becoming the Czech Republic in 1991 after a split from Slovakia.

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