Olly Alexander dealt UK Eurovision blow to chances days before contest as odds drift

Olly Alexander has suffered a major blow to his chances in the Eurovision Song Contest, just days before its start, with his odds of winning falling away rather drastically.

There was a lot of excitement when Years & Years star Olly dropped the bombshell during last year's Strictly final that he'd be flying the flag for the UK at Eurovision in Malmo, with viewers being completely blindsided by his announcement, given that the BBC has traditionally revealed the artist just a few months before the event.

After his big news, Olly then teased that he had a 'banger' up his sleeve, with his entry Dizzy being released on March 1 and soaring straight up the iTunes charts in the UK. Since its release, Olly has been performing the track at Eurovision preview parties across the continent and on home turf in London but, while the song has been largely well received by fans, it's drifted in the odds.

READ MORE: Eurovision Song Contest 2024 countries, acts and songs for Malmo competition

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While other countries like Ireland and Netherlands have been on an upward trajectory in the betting, Olly has gone the other way, with bookies Betway having him on 40/1 win in odds released on Wednesday, May 1 . Top of their odds at present is Switzerland's Nemo with The Code on 2/1, while Croatian entry Rim Tom Tagi Dim, by Baby Lasagna is a 3/1 tip and the Netherlands are in third.

Assessing Olly's chances and other contenders, Betway spokesperson Chad Yeomans said: “The UK is hoping to improve on its performance last year, when Mae Muller fell down the rankings to come second last - however Olly Alexander already has huge star power, so it’s not out of the question for him to join the likes of Sam Ryder who shot to fame after coming second in 2022.

“Eurovision is loved by over 200 million people across the world - as people come together to celebrate pop music and embrace culture, diversity, incredible music and stunning fashion. But the best thing about Eurovision is that we never know what we’re going to get - the whole contest is full of surprises, which Olly Alexander will be hoping to achieve - for all the right reasons on the big night!”