On this day in 2001, the 46th edition of the annual Eurovision Song Contest was held in Copenhagen, Denmark, following the country’s victory at the 2000 contest with the song Fly on the Wings of Love by Olsen Brothers. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR), the contest was held at the Parken Stadium. The contest was presented by Danish television presenter Natasja Crone Back and actor Søren Pilmark.
Twenty-three countries took part in the contest. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, and Slovenia returned after their relegation from the previous edition. Greece also returned after their two-year absence, following financial trouble. Meanwhile, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, Macedonia, Romania, and Switzerland were relegated.
The winner was Estonia with the song Everybody, performed by Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL, and written by Ivar Must and Maian Kärmas. This was the first time the contest was won by one of the countries from the former Eastern bloc that debuted in the contest in the 1990s. Denmark, Greece, France and Sweden rounded out the top five with Greece achieving its best result up to that point in the contest. Further down the table, Slovenia equalled their best result from 1995, finishing seventh. Meanwhile, Ireland finished in 21st place, giving the nation its worst placement up to that point.
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