OMSC 28

Online Music Song Contest 28, often referred to as OMSC 28, was the twenty-eighth edition of Online Music Song Contest, held in Tel Aviv, after Israel won the previous edition of the contest.

The Pre-Qualification Round of OMSC 28 occured on the 19ᵗʰ June 2022, the Semi-Finals on the 26ᵗʰ June 2022 while the Final occured on the 3ʳᵈ July 2022. Fifty-five countries participated in the twenty-eighth contest, under the slogan “To The End Of The World!”.

Location
After it’s victory in the previous edition, the broadcaster IPBC chose to host the contest in the second most populous of Israel, Tel Aviv, which has a population of 460,000 inhabitants. Israel is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline, in central Israel, the historic land bridge between Europe, Asia and Africa. The city is located 60 kilometers northwest of Jerusalem and 90 kilometers south of the city of Haifa. Immediately north of the ancient port of Jaffa, Tel Aviv lies on land that used to be sand dunes and as such has relatively poor soil fertility. Its most notable geographical features are bluffs above the Mediterranean coastline and the Yarkon River.

Tel Aviv was founded in 1909 as a Jewish suburb of the mainly Arab Jaffa. Tel Aviv’s founders were mainly middle-class immigrants who set out to build a European-style suburb with modern urban infrastructure and services. In 1917 the entire population of Tel Aviv and the Jewish population of nearby Jaffa were expelled northward by the Ottoman military authorities. The city’s residents returned home in late 1917, after Jaffa and Tel Aviv were taken by the British. Growth during the period of the British mandate in Palestine was largely influenced by waves of Jewish immigration into Palestine and by rounds of violence between Arabs and Jews in the 1920s and 1930s. This led to an increasing separation between the two populations, especially after the anti-Jewish riots of 1921. Separation between Arabs and Jews was virtually completed in the late 1930s when a general strike in the port of Jaffa led to the establishment of a separate port in Tel Aviv.

In that period Tel Aviv started emerging as the centre of the Jewish population in Palestine. The historical nucleus of Tel Aviv developed into a thriving business centre, to the point that the population of Tel Aviv surpassed that of Jaffa. According to the United Nations’ 1947 resolution on the partition of Palestine, Jaffa was meant to remain an Arab enclave within the Jewish state. However, in 1948, days prior to Israel’s declaration of independence, the Jewish military forces took control of Jaffa, and the Arab population fled. Jewish immigrants soon settled in the largely deserted city. Jaffa was amalgamated with Tel Aviv in 1950, and the united municipality became officially known as Tel Aviv–Yafo.

In the 1990s, Tel Aviv experienced renewed growth and economic restructuring, as well as security problems associated with the Israeli-Arab conflict and peace process. During these years, Tel Aviv suffered a number of violent attacks; among them were Iraqi missile assaults during the Persian Gulf War and several terrorist attacks. Nowadays the city has the third- or fourth-largest economy and the largest economy per capita in the Middle East and, as it was the capital of Israel from 1948 to 1949, it is still home to most of the foreign embassies. This is because Israel's proclamation of Jerusalem as its capital is not recognized by several resolutions of the Security Council of Nations.

Participants
Fifty-five countries participated in the twenty-eighth edition of the contest: fifteen European countries (Åland Islands, Andorra, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine), fifteen Asian countries (Abkhazia, Afghanistan, Armenia, Hong Kong, Iran, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, Malaysia, North Korea, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Turkmenistan, Yemen), eleven American countries (Anguilla, Argentina, Aruba, Canada, Chile, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, United States of America, United States’ Virgin Islands), nine Oceanian countries (American Samoa, Australia, French Polynesia, Fiji, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga) and five African countries (Algeria, Canary Islands, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone).

In this edition Andorra, Niue and the Solomon Islands participated for the first time.

Returning Artists
This edition featured eleven representatives who had performed previously as lead vocalists for a country in the contest.

Egzod represented the Northern Mariana Islands at its third appearence in the nineteenth edition of the contest, together with Maestro Chives and Neoni, also returning this edition. The performed song was "Royalty", which placed 6ᵗʰ out of 50 participating countries with 100 points. In this occasion he was selected to represent North Macedonia together with Aleesia, with the song "Machine", placing TBA out of 55 participating countries with TBA points.

Dream Catcher represented Hong Kong at its debut, in the seventeenth edition. With their song "Boca" they made it to the final, placing 12ᵗʰ out of 50 participating countries with 74 points. In this occasion the girl group was selected to represent Hong Kong again. This time the performed songs was "Maison", which placed TBA with TBA points.

Banks represented Montserrat at its first and only participation in the twenty-fifth edition of the contest, in Las Palmas. She performed her song "Trainwreck" which placed 3ʳᵈ out of 55 participating countries with 128 points. In this occasion she was selected to represent returning Palau, this time with the song "Gimme" which placed TBA out of 55 participanting countries with TBA points.

Somi represented North Korea at its tenth appearence, in the nineteenth edition of the contest. She performed her song "Dumb Dumb", sung both in English and Korean, which placed 15ᵗʰ out of 50 participating countries with 68 points, achieving one of the best North Korean results to date. In this occasion she was selected to represent North Korea again. The chosen song was "What You Waiting For" and it placed TBA out of 55 participanting countries with TBA points, obtaining almost the same success as in her previous participation.

Neoni represented the Northern Mariana Islands at its third appearence in the nineteenth edition of the contest, together with Maestro Chives and Egzod, also returning this edition. The performed song was "Royalty", which placed 6ᵗʰ out of 50 participating countries with 100 points. In this occasion the duo was selected to represent Tonga together with Magnus, with the song "Conquer", placing TBA out of 55 participating countries with TBA points.

Stefania represented the Netherlands at its fourth appearence in the contest, in the eighth edition of the contest, in London. She performed her song "Friday", sung in English, which placed 23ʳᵈ out of 37 participating countries with 82 points, in the semi-final. In this occasion she represented the same country as part of the automatic qualifiers, with her song "Mucho Calor", sung both in English and Spanish, placing TBA with TBA points.

Ashe represented Fiji at its third participation in the eighth edition of the contest. She performed her song "Moral Of The Story", which made it to the final and placed 8ᵗʰ out of 37 participating countries with 87 points. She returned to the contest after fifteen editions, for Guam. She performed her song "Save Myself" which eventually placed 12ᵗʰ out of 50 participants with 96 points. In this occasion she was selected one last time, to represent Samoa, this time not as soloist. She performed the song "Till Forever Falls Apart" together with the American singer Finneas. They placed TBA out of 55 participanting countries with TBA points.

Milica Pavlović represented Switzerland in the sixteenth edition of the contest with her song "Crna Jutra (Црна Јутра)" which won the contest with a score of 125 points and brought the contest to Geneva. In this occasion she was internally selected to represent Serbia together with Albino, with the song "Šećeru (Шећеру)". It placed TBA with TBA points.

Yuna represented Malaysia in the twenty-first edition of the contest with her song "Forevermore", which placed 18ᵗʰ out of 50 participating countries with 54 points. In this occasion she was selected to represent Malaysia again, this time together with G-Eazy and the song "Blank Marquee". It placed TBA out of 55 participanting countries with TBA points.

Baanu represented Turkmenistan in the previous edition of the contest. She performed her song "	Haýran", sung entirely in Turkmen but placed 38ᵗʰ out of 55 participating countries with 64 points, without unfortunately qualifying for the final. In this occasion she represented Turkmenistan again, this time performing her song "Söýäýdiň Öýdýän", again in Turkmen. It placed TBA with TBA points.

Tini represented Argentina at its fifth appearence in the contest, in the twenty-first edition. She participated together with Karol G, performing the song "Princesa" which achieved Argentina's worst result ever, placing 45ᵗʰ out of 50 participating countries with 145 points, in the pre-qualification round. She returned to the contest for Argentina in the following edition. She performed the song "Wild" together with Jonas Blue and Chelcee Grimes, which eventually placed 22ⁿᵈ out of 50 participants with 62 points. In this occasion she was chosen one last time to represent Argentina again, this time as soloist. She performed her song "La Triple T", which placed TBA out of 55 participating countries with TBA points.

Withdrawing Countries
These countries confirmed their non-participation in the twenty-eighth edition of the contest:

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Other Countries
These countries confirmed their non-participation in the twenty-eighth edition of the contest:

• Isle of Man – On the 5ᵗʰ June 2022, the Isle of Man's broadcaster Manx Radio announced that they were planning a debut in OMSC 28. However, it was later confirmed on the same day that the island would not debut in this edition of the contest.

• Jersey – On the 6ᵗʰ June 2022, Jersian broadcaster Channel Television (ITV) announced that the nation had interest in the competition and was planning a debut in OMSC 28, after failing their debut in OMSC 23. However, it was later confirmed in the following days that the country would not debut in this edition of the contest.

• Mozambique – On the 5ᵗʰ June 2022, the Mozambican broadcaster Televisão de Moçambique (TVM) announced that they were planning a debut in OMSC 28, after their attempt in OMSC 5. However, it was later confirmed on the same day that the country would not debut in this edition of the contest.