Own Asiavision Song Contest 30

Own Asiavision Song Contest 30, often referred to as OASC #30, is the 30th edition of Own Asiavision Song Contest. The contest took place in TBA, Kyrgyzstan, following the country's victory in the 29th edition with the song "Ak kara" by Tamga. It was the first time that Kyrgyzstan had hosted the contest. Organised by the Own Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union and host broadcaster Public Broadcasting Corporation of the Kyrgyz Republic, the contest was held at the TBA, and consisted of one quarter-final, two semi-finals and the final.

Location
Further information on the host country: Kyrgyzstan

The contest took place in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, following the country's victory at the 29th edition with the song "Ak kara", performed by Tamga. It was the first time that Kyrgyzstan had hosted the contest. The selected venue was Kyrgyz Opera and Ballet Theatre. Located on Abdrahmanov street, it was opened in 1937 in Frunze (now Bishkek) as a Drama and Music Theatre. Over the 70 years every evening the stage of the theatre is illuminated by the soffit lights, the curtain rises and the performance starts.

Shortly after Kyrgyzstan's victory, officials announced that a new concert venue was to be built, as a potential venue for the event. However, after the announcement of the host city and the official venue, it was decided to extend the Opera and Ballet Theatre specifically for this event. Preparations for construction began in the area shortly after the announcement.

Bidding phase
After Tamga’s victory in the 29th contest in Sapporo, Japan, Kyrgyzstan was officially confirmed as the host country, and on 20 May 2022, KTRK formally opened the bidding process for cities interested in hosting the 30th anniversary contest. Kyrgyz president Sadyr Japarov stated that he expected few bids compared to other editions since Kyrgyzstan did not have a lot of facilities in cities around the country which could host such a global event.

In the week of 23 May 2022, the executive supervisor and the council of the Own Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union led a handful of delegates around Kyrgyzstan to look at potential venues in Bishkek and Osh and to hear the bid from Karakol. Several of the venues visited would require a vast amount of reconstruction to be able to meet OABU standards for the contest to be held efficiently, including building roofs and sufficient facilities nearby.

Two days later, on the 25 May 2022, the OABU and KTRK released the remaining venues and cities stating: "The OABU and KTRK have revealed the last two cities in the race to be the official host city of the 30th Own Asiavision Song Contest! The final confirmed city along with the venue will be confirmed later in the week." These two cities were Bishkek and Osh, with Karakol being eliminated. The four remaining candidate venues were: Kyrgyz Opera and Ballet Theatre, Kyrgyz State Circus (Bishkek), Osh State Academic Uzbek Music and Drama Theater named after Babur and Suyumbayev Stadion (Osh).

The delegations of Bahrain and Cook Islands spoke out at the remaining cities, and stated that they were "Hoping for Osh", whilst the Australian and Kyrgyz delegations preferred Bishkek.

Finally, on the 29th May 2022, the OABU and KTRK came to a decision and announced that Bishkek was chosen to be the host city of the edition, with the Kyrgyz Opera and Ballet Theatre being the selected venue, accommodating up to 900 people inside the theatre.

Key: Host venue Shortlisted

Host City
Bishkek, is the capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is also the administrative centre of the Chüy Region. The region surrounds the city, although the city itself is not part of the region but rather a region-level unit of Kyrgyzstan. It is also near the Kazakhstan–Kyrgyzstan border. Its population was 1,074,075 in 2021.

Bishkek is situated at an altitude of about 800 metres, just off the northern fringe of the Kyrgyz Ala-Too Range, an extension of the Tian Shan mountain range. These mountains rise to a height of 4,895 metres. North of the city, a fertile and gently undulating steppe extends far north into neighbouring Kazakhstan. The river Chüy drains most of the area. Bishkek is connected to the Turkestan–Siberia Railway by a spur line.

Bishkek is a city of wide boulevards and marble-faced public buildings combined with numerous Soviet-style apartment blocks surrounding interior courtyards. There are also thousands of smaller, privately built houses, mostly outside the city centre. Streets follow a grid pattern, with most flanked on both sides by narrow irrigation channels, watering innumerable trees to provide shade in the hot summers.

Venue
The Kyrgyz State Opera and Ballet Theater is a prominant fixture in central Bishkek with a nearly century-old history. It is a pride of the city’s artistic and intellectual community and often recommended to SRAS students studying in Bishkek by locals. Below is the history and performances of this great institution as told by American students who have seen productions at the theater.

Kyrgyz State Opera and Ballet Theater was founded in Bishkek (formerly known as "Frunze') on November 7, 1930. It was then Kyrgyzstan's first and only European-style theatrical institution. Under the Soviet Union, opera houses and ballet theaters were constructed in major cities across all fifteen Soviet Republics.

During its Soviet career, the theater produced hundreds of operas and ballets, such as Swan Lake, Eugene Onegin, La Traviata, Don Carlos, Prince Igor, La Boheme, Faust, and the Queen of Spades – just to name a few. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the theater has continued to produce and perform many operas and ballets, with many of the aforementioned productions still running today.

During all this this time, many Russian musicians, composers, artists, and directors came to the Kyrgyz Republic to perform at the Kyrgyz State Theater and help develop it into a local European-style institution. Contributing talents included the famous composer, Vladimir Vlasov, conductor, Vasily Tselikovskiy and director, Vladimir Vasiliev. All of these artists greatly influenced the further development of performance in the Kyrgyz Republic.

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.

Active members

 * French Polynesia decided to take a break from this edition to reevaluate their position in the contest.
 * KBS announced that South Korea would be withdrawing without specifying a reason. It is speculated that it has to do with low rankings due to their most recent weak results and the return of North Korea in the contest.

Associate members

 * At the end of the 29th edition, the head of delegation announced in the press conference that they might consider sitting out for an edition to redeem themselves after bringing East Timor another last place in the semi-final. Ultimately, the head of delegation decided to resign from their position. With the position being free, the country is not longer an active member of the OABU until a new head of delegation will be appointed.

South Korean withdrawal
On the 22nd of May 2022, KBS announced that South Korea would be withdrawing from the 30th Own Asiavision Song Contest unexpectedly and without specifying a reason. It was speculated amongst the broadcasters that it has to do with low rankings due to their most recent weak results in the last three editions and the return of North Korea in the contest. This withdrawal was further sealed by the broadcaster announcing on the 24th of May 2022, that the withdrawal was permanent as the head of delegation was stepping down from their position. This then lead to questions as to how South Korea could return, since the country has been the most successful country in Own Asiavision, collecting 4 wins as well as having a huge audience. A huge national selection was rumoured to be constructed for the country, in which potential candidate heads of delegations would send in their proposed entries for the 30th edition, and would vote for the best song, and whichever head of delegation assigned that song would be the permanent head of delegation for South Korea in the foreseeable future.