Georgia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 therefore withdrew from the contest. Confirmation of the withdrawal given, when the running order was announced on 16 March, and Georgia was not included. Georgia was to compete in the first semi-final on 12 May 2009. Following that dispute, GPB did not even broadcast the 2009 contest, but Georgia returned to the 2010 contest, which was won by Germany. Georgia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 Georgia, and its broadcaster Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB), announced in August 2008 that it would be withdrawing from the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 in Moscow, Russia. The country later returned to the contest in
Eurovision Song Contest 2008 tradition from the 2008 contest and onward, and the ring contains a key from every city that has ever hosted the competition. Due to problems and riots in Belgrade following the unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo on 17 February 2008, the EBU held a phone conference to decide if the contest should be moved to a different country. Ukraine was considered an option since they came second in Eurovision Song Contest 2007. YLE were another option, as they hosted the previous year's competition in Helsinki, Finland. Greece's Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi (ERT) also offered the EBU to host the contest