Own Asiavision Song Contest 29

Own Asiavision Song Contest 29, often referred to as OASC #29, is the 29th edition of Own Asiavision Song Contest. The contest took place in Sapporo, Japan, following the country's victory in the 28th edition with the song "Who I Am" by Milet. It was the first time that Japan had hosted the contest. Organised by the Own Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union and host broadcaster Japan Broadcasting Corporation, the contest was held at the Makomanai Stadium, and consisted of one quarter-final, two semi-finals and the final. The three live shows were hosted by Rihwa, Aogawa Miho and Masayoshi Soken.

Fifty-one countries participated in the contest. Indonesia, Iran and Palestine returned to the competition, while China, Maldives and Tajikistan withdrew for various reasons.

The winner was Kyrgyzstan with the song "Ak kara" performed by Tamga, with a record-breaking score of 254 points, beating the previous record holder by only 2 points. This was country's first victory in the contest. Philippines achieved another 2nd place with Ylona Garcia, who also finished 2nd in 27th edition. The podium was completed by Singapore on third place. Indonesia and Samoa finished on 4th and 5th places respectively, with Samoa achieving their third consecutive automatic qualification, while Hong Kong rounded up the top 6. The host country Japan finished 18th. This edition also marked the first appearance of Niue in the final, where it scored 15th place.

Location
Further information on the host country: Japan

Host City
Sapporo is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo, Japan and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It is the capital city of Hokkaido Prefecture and Ishikari Subprefecture. Sapporo lies in the southwest of Hokkaido, within the alluvial fan of the Toyohira River, which is a tributary stream of the Ishikari. It is considered the cultural, economic, and political center of Hokkaido.

As with most of Hokkaido, the Sapporo area was settled by the indigenous Ainu people, beginning over 15,000 years ago. Starting in the late 19th century, Sapporo saw increasing settlement by Yamato migrants. Sapporo hosted the 1972 Winter Olympics, the first Winter Olympics ever held in Asia, and the second Olympic games held in Japan after the 1964 Summer Olympics. Sapporo is currently bidding for the 2030 Winter Olympics. The Sapporo Dome hosted three games during the 2002 FIFA World Cup and two games during the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Additionally, Sapporo has hosted the Asian Winter Games three times, in 1986, 1990, and 2017.

The annual Sapporo Snow Festival draws more than 2 million tourists from abroad. Other notable sites include the Sapporo Beer Museum, which is the only beer museum in Japan, and the Sapporo TV Tower located in Odori Park. It is home to Hokkaido University, just north of Sapporo Station. The city is served by Okadama Airport and New Chitose Airport in nearby Chitose.

Venue
Makomanai Park is a city park in Minami-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. It is home to attractions such as Makomanai Open Stadium, Makomanai Ice Arena and the Sapporo Salmon Museum. It also contains a small gymnasium, restaurant and a shop. The area where the park is now located was the main site of the Sapporo 1972 Winter Olympic Games.

Located in the southern part of the city, along the Toyohira riverside, in the confluence with the Makomanai River, the park contains coniferous and broad-leaved trees. The park includes over 10 km of walking paths. It is used from spring to autumn as a walk or jogging course and in winter as a cross-country skiing path. The park also contains the Makomanai Ice Arena, which opened on 1972. The arena opened in time to host some of the Winter Olympics' figure skating competitions and ice hockey games. Today, it is utilized as a concert venue and ice skating facility. The Sapporo Salmon Museum, opened in 1984. It is located at the northwestern end of the park, and explains the fish, including its life history and its importance for the region. In the outdoor observation channel, visitors can watch salmon spawning in autumn, and newly spawned salmon alevins in the spring. The indoor aquarium exhibits rainbow trout, landlocked salmon and Sakhalin taimen species.

Semi-final Allocation Draw
The draw to determine the allocation of the participating countries into their respective semi-finals took place on 14 November 2021. The first part of the draw determined in which semi-final the Big Six would have to vote. The second part of the draw decided in which half of the respective semi-finals each country would perform, with the exact running order determined by the producers of the show at a later date. Twenty countries participated in each semi-final. From each semi-final, ten countries joined the "Big 6" in the final, where a total of twenty-six countries participated.

The forty semi-finalists were allocated into six pots, based on their geographical place and cultural similarities. Drawing from different pots helps in reducing the chance of so-called neighbour voting and increasing suspense in the semi-finals. Each time a country was drawn from the pot, its semi-final and half of the semi-final was determined.

The six pots were the following:

Quarter-final
Nine countries participated in the quarter-final. Every country could vote, with the participants accounting for 50% of the results and the Rest of the World for the other 50% of the results.

Semi-final 1
Twenty countries participated in the first semi-final. French Polynesia, Japan and Malaysia also voted in this semi-final.

Semi-final 2
Twenty countries participated in the second semi-final. Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tuvalu also voted in this semi-final.

Final
Twenty-six countries participated in the final, with all 51 participating countries eligible to vote.

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

 * : China Central Television failed to respond in time to the invitation sent by OABU regarding their participation, thus it was not included among the competing countries this edition. Some days later, the head of delegation announced that Yuqi would have represented the country with the song "Bonnie & Clyde" if they were able to participate. Whether they will return next edition with the same entry or not is unknown. Other sources claim that the broadcaster was focused on the organisation of the 2022 Winter Olympics.
 * : The broadcaster failed to state their intentions regarding their participation, thus was assumed as a non-participant.
 * : The delegation responsible for the country's participation in the contest didn't respond to the invitation that was sent by the OABU, therefore the country would not be present this edition.
 * : Tajikistan announced that they will not compete in this edition due to financial difficulties which were caused by hosting the best edition of Own Asiavision Song Contest to date. The team was confident in this choice and promises that they will certainly be back for the 30th edition of the contest, given how special it is.

Associate members

 * : On 26 January 2022, FSM Telecommunications Corporation announced their intention to debut in the contest. However, the broadcaster was not granted full membership yet.
 * : Korean Central Television tried to submit another application to get full membership, but was rejected until there's enough places for them to become a member.
 * : Qatar Television didn't show any interest in returning to the competition, but a return in the near future was not ruled out.
 * : Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation is not planning a return yet, but announced that they would still broadcast the event.