Own Asiavision Song Contest 16

Own Asiavision Song Contest 16, often referred to as OASC #16, is the 16th edition of Own Asiavision Song Contest. The contest took place in Mumbai, India, following country's victory in the 15th edition with the song "Paper House" performed by Helena. This is the first time that India hosted the contest.

Forty-two countries participated in the sixteenth edition. The contest saw the return of Iran, North Korea and Papua New Guinea. Unfortunately, Bahrain and Maldives have withdrawn from the competition. Despite originally confirming, Kuwait and New Zealand were forced to withdraw due to not submitting an entry before the deadline.

The winner was China with the song "Quiet" performed by Milck which scored 155 points, winning by a margin of 9 points in front of Syria. The podium was completed by Turkmenistan, which finished on the third place. India, the host country placed 18th.

Location
For more details on the host country, see India.

Host City
Mumbai also known as Bombay, is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-most populous city in the country after Delhi and the seventh-most populous city in the world with a population of roughly 20 million. As per Indian government population census of 2011, Mumbai was the most populous city in India with an estimated city proper population of 12.5 million living under Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. Mumbai is the centre of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, the sixth most populous metropolitan area in the world with a population of over 23 million. Mumbai lies on the Konkan coast on the west coast of India and has a deep natural harbour. In 2008, Mumbai was named an alpha world city. It has the highest number of millionaires and billionaires among all cities in India. Mumbai is home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Elephanta Caves, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, and the city's distinctive ensemble of Victorian and Art Deco buildings.

Mumbai is the financial, commercial, and the entertainment capital of India. It is also one of the world's top ten centres of commerce in terms of global financial flow, generating 6.16% of India's GDP, and accounting for 25% of industrial output, 70% of maritime trade in India (Mumbai Port Trust and JNPT), and 70% of capital transactions to India's economy. Mumbai has the eighth-highest number of billionaires of any city in the world, and Mumbai's billionaires had the highest average wealth of any city in the world in 2008. The city houses important financial institutions and the corporate headquarters of numerous Indian companies and multinational corporations. It is also home to some of India's premier scientific and nuclear institutes. The city is also home to Bollywood and Marathi cinema industries. Mumbai's business opportunities attract migrants from all over India.

Venue
The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Indoor Stadium is an indoor sports arena, in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The facility seats 5,000 people. The stadium was established in 1957 and was foundation stone was laid by former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Yashwantrao Chavan and the facility is administered by National Sports Club of India. It includes the facilities like Tennis, Badminton, Billiards, Table Tennis, Badminton, Carrom and Wrestling.

The indoor stadium was renovated in 2005 with air conditioned indoor stadium with a seating capacity of 5000 and health club & Spa, two banquet rooms and restaurants were added.

Semi-final Allocation Draw
The draw to determine the allocation of the participating countries into their respective semi-finals took place took place on 18 September 2017. The participating countries, excluding the automatic finalists, have been split into six pots, based on voting patterns from the previous editions. The pots were calculated and are as follows:

From these pots, 18 countries were allocated to compete in the first semi-final and 18 in the second semifinal. The host country, India will vote in the second semi-final. The countries from the big five will vote as follow: Bangladesh, Japan and South Korea in the first semifinal, while China and Saudi Arabia in the second semifinal.

Semi-final 1
Eighteen countries participated in the first semi-final. Bangladesh, Japan and South Korea also voted in this semi-final.

Semi-final 2
Eighteen countries participated in the second semi-final. China, India and Saudi Arabia also voted in this semi-final.

Final
Twenty-six countries participated in the final, with all 42 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 have been sent in order to confirm whether they will participate or not. The following list of countries declined stating their reasons as shown below.


 * Bahrain didn't release a statement about their participation, therefore they will be withdrawing from the contest.
 * Despite their initial confirmation, it was later announced that Kuwait will not be taking part in the upcoming edition.
 * The broadcaster announced that Macau would not be returning this edition.
 * It was announced that the country would be taking a one-edition-break.
 * Despite speculation surrounding their participation, it was later reported that MNB had refused an invitation of participation.
 * New Zealand was forced to withdraw their application to participate for not submitting an entry in within deadline.
 * PBS didn't participate in the last two edition to focus on other projects within the broadcaster.