Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 1986
| Eurovision Song Contest 1986 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country |
.svg.png){kind=small} Belgium | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | Eurovision '86 | |||
| Selection date(s) | 2 March 1986 | |||
| Selected entrant | Sandra Kim | |||
| Selected song | "J'aime la vie" | |||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 1st, 176 points | |||
| Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
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Belgium was present at the Eurovision Song Contest 1986, held in Bergen, Norway.
The Belgian national final to select their entry, Eurovision '86, was held on 2 March at the RTBF-TV Studios in Brussels, and was hosted by Patrick Duhamel. The winning song was decided by the following formula: 50% of the final tabulation would come from 12 "music experts" and 50% would come from 500 random Belgians polled to make up a fair segment of the Belgian population.
For 1986 (like in other even-numbered years), the Walloon broadcaster in Belgium, Radio télévision belge de la communauté française (RTBF), took responsibility for Eurovision song selection. As a result, all of the competing songs for 1986 were sung in French.
The winning entry was "J'aime la vie," performed by Sandra Kim, composed by Jean Paul Furnémont and Angelo Crisci, with lyrics written by Rosario Marino.
National final
Only the winner was announced at the end of the final. The winner is shown in Gold and bold.
| Draw | Artist | Song | Informal translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michel Almann | Toi | You |
| 2 | Axel Faye | Tope là! | High five! (slang expression of agreement) |
| 3 | Formule II | Tout, je te donne tout | Everything, I give you everything |
| 4 | Elisabeth Granec | Mon pays c'est la terre | My country is Earth |
| 5 | Dino Lizi | Chante avec nous | Sing with us |
| 6 | Makof | SOS | SOS |
| 7 | Sandra Kim | J'aime la vie | I love life |
| 8 | Toxic | L'aventure c'est toi | The adventure is you |
| 9 | Jean-Claude Watrin | Au-delà de nos rêves | Beyond our dreams |
At Eurovision
Sandra Kim performed thirteenth on the night of the Contest, following Ireland and preceding Germany. At the close of the voting the song had received 176 points, placing 1st in a field of 20 competing countries. It was the first win for Belgium in the Contest, something they have not been able to replicate since.
Belgium scored an absolute record at the time, with Sandra Kim earning a never seen before amount of 176 points (that record remained until 1993, and Ireland scoring 187 points). Kim received an average of 9,26 points per voting nation, which, as of 2015, still ranks 7th among all Eurovision winners.
Points Awarded to Belgium
| Points Awarded to Belgium[1] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 points | 10 points | 8 points | 7 points | 6 points |
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| 5 points | 4 points | 3 points | 2 points | 1 point |
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Points Awarded by Belgium[1]
| 12 points |  Switzerland |
| 10 points |  Luxembourg |
| 8 points |  Finland |
| 7 points |  Germany |
| 6 points |  Turkey |
| 5 points |  Norway |
| 4 points |  Yugoslavia |
| 3 points |  Spain |
| 2 points |  Ireland |
| 1 point |  Austria |