OMSC 32

Online Music Song Contest 32, often referred to as OMSC 32, was the thirty-second edition of Online Music Song Contest, held in León, after Mexico won the previous edition of the contest.

The Pre-Qualification Round of OMSC 32 occured on the 9ᵗʰ October 2022, the Semi-Finals on the 16ᵗʰ October 2022 while the Final occured on the 23ʳᵈ October 2022. Fifty countries participated in the thirty-second contest, under the slogan “Fiesta, Salsa, Quinceañera!”.

Iran won the contest with the song "Rhode", sung in English, receving a total of 146 points. Japan finished in second place with a margin of nine points from the winner, while South Africa finished in third place. They were followed by Vietnam, which reached the fourth place and Norway which reached the fifth place.

Location


After it’s victory in the previous edition, the broadcaster SPR chose to host the contest in León, the fourth-most populous city in Mexico. It has a population of over 1,720,000 inhabitants and it is located in the north of the state of Guanajuato.

In the León area there are ten distinct archeological zones, dating from the pre-classic Mesoamerican period. Most of these are identified with the Chupícuaro culture. In the 13ᵗʰ century, the Chichimecas, mostly of the Guamare and Guachichil subgroups, overran the area, migrating from an area of what is now San Luis Potosí. They remained through the Colonial period recognizing the Spanish settlers as invaders.

In 1530, Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán arrived with allied Tarasco Indians to the area, naming it Nuestra Señora. Farming and cattle-raising were introduced here around 1546 by the Spaniards, but these settlers were under constant threat by the Chichimecas. These settlers requested assistance from the viceregal authorities in Mexico City. As a response, viceroy Martín Enríquez de Almanza ordered the founding of a city here, with the name of León in 1575. Although León was first settled in 1552, it was not formally founded until 1576 and was given city status in 1830. At that time the words de los Aldamas were added to its name, in honour of Juan Aldama, a leader in the struggle for Mexican independence. The Jesuits arrived to León in 1731, founding the "Compañía Vieja" which is now the site of the Temple of the Immaculate. They also constructed the cathedral, which was never finished as they were expelled from Mexico in 1767.

Independence forces under José Rafael de Iriarte arrived to the town in October 1810. However, two months later royalist forces retook the locality, with insurrectionist sympathizers facing reprisals. The town remained in royalist hands until the end of the Mexican War of Independence. In 1827 it became one of the four "departments" of the newly created state of Guanajuato. From 1863 to 1866, the French occupied León during the French Intervention. Emperor Maximillian visited the city in 1864 and his arrival was much celebrated with fireworks and a hot air balloon exhibition.

Nowadays, León is an important location for health care, higher education and research, as well as business tourism. It has a strong leather industry, offering leather products to national and international markets. Its first-class services and hotel industry make it an important commercial center in Mexico with numerous options for entertainment, gastronomy, leisure activities, arts, and recreation. It is also considered one of the most environmentally friendly cities in Mexico and has a high number of cyclists. It also received an award as "City Water Champion", mainly due to great progress in the areas of sanitation, wastewater reuse, and energy cogeneration from biogas.

Participants
Fifty countries participated in the thirty-second edition of the contest: fifteen European countries (Åland Islands, Czechia, Finland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine), thirteen Asian countries (Iran, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, North Korea, Palestine, Qatar, South Korea, Syria, Turkey, Vietnam), nine American countries (Canada, Chile, French Guiana, Guyana, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, United States of America), five Oceanian countries (Fiji, Guam, Kiribati, Northern Mariana Islands, Vanuatu) and eight African countries (Algeria, Canary Islands, French Southern Territories, Eritrea, Niger, Senegal, South Africa, Zambia).

In this edition the Maldives, Niger, Qatar and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines participated for the first time.

Other Countries
• Bahamas – On the 25ᵗʰ September 2022, the Bahamian broadcaster Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas (BCB) announced that they were planning a debut in OMSC 32. However, it was later confirmed on the same day that the island nation would not debut in this edition of the contest.

• Burundi – On the 27ᵗʰ September 2022, the Burundi's broadcaster Radio-Télévision Nationale du Burundi (RTNB) announced that they were planning a debut in OMSC 32. However, it was later confirmed on the 28ᵗʰ September 2022 that Burundi would not debut in this edition of the contest.

• Panama – On the 29ᵗʰ September 2022, the Panamanian broadcaster Sistema Estatal de Radio y Televisión (SERT) announced that they were planning a debut again in OMSC 32, after their previous attempts in OMSC 20, in OMSC 30 and in OMSC 31. However, it was confirmed later on that day that the country would not debut in this edition of the contest either.

• Seychelles  – On the 26ᵗʰ September 2022, the Seychellois broadcaster Seychelles Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) announced that they were planning a debut in OMSC 32, after sending their own delegation to Lahore to supervise and evaluate a future participation in the competition. Despite rumours about Nissa Seych being a possible representative, on the 1ˢᵗ October 2022 it was confirmed that the insular nation would not debut in this edition of the contest.