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Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest

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Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest
Belgium
Participating broadcasterRadio-télévision belge de la Communauté française (RTBF; 1978–present)
Formerly
  • Institut national belge de radiodiffusion (INR; 1956–1960)
  • Radio-Télévision Belge (RTB; 1961–1977)
Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT; 1998–present)
Formerly
  • Nationaal Instituut voor de Radio-omroep (NIR; 1956–1960)
  • Belgische Radio- en Televisieomroep (BRT; 1961–1990)
  • Belgische Radio- en Televisieomroep Nederlandstalige Uitzendingen (BRTN; 1991–1997)
Participation summary
Appearances65 (55 finals)
First appearance1956
Highest placement1st: 1986
Host1987
Participation history
External links
Belgium's page at Eurovision.tv Edit this at Wikidata
For the most recent participation see
Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024

Belgium has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 65 times since making its debut as one of seven countries at the first contest in 1956. The only countries with more appearances are Germany (67), France (66) and the United Kingdom (66). Belgium have been absent only three times in total, in 1994, 1997, and 2001, due to low scores in the previous contests that relegated them from the contest. Belgium has won the contest once, in 1986.

In the first 20 years of the contest, Belgium's best result was a fourth place with "Un peu de poivre, un peu de sel" performed by Tonia in 1966. In 1978, "L'amour ça fait chanter la vie" by Jean Vallée achieved Belgium's first top three placement, when it was second. "J'aime la vie" became the first and to date only win for Belgium in 1986, performed by a 13-year-old Sandra Kim. Belgium's only other top three result came in 2003, when "Sanomi" by Urban Trad finished second, losing out by only two points. Belgium has finished last in the contest eight times, most recently in 2000, and has twice received nul points, in 1962 and 1965.

After the introduction of the semi-finals in 2004, Belgium failed to reach the final for five consecutive years (2005–09). Since 2010, Belgium has become more successful, qualifying for the final in eight out of 14 contests and placing in the top ten five times, with "Me and My Guitar" by Tom Dice (sixth in 2010), "Rhythm Inside" by Loïc Nottet (fourth in 2015), "What's the Pressure" by Laura Tesoro (tenth in 2016), "City Lights" by Blanche (fourth in 2017), and "Because of You" by Gustaph (seventh in 2023).

Participation

[edit]

Belgium is a federal country divided into two major linguistic regions: Dutch-speaking Flanders in the north and French-speaking Wallonia in the south, each region having its own broadcaster: Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT)[a] in Flanders and Radio-télévision belge de la Communauté française (RTBF)[b] in Wallonia. Both broadcasters are full members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), thus eligible to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. As only one entrant per country is allowed in the contest in any given year, they take turns in participate representing Belgium. Since 2021, Flemish VRT has been in charge on odd years while Walloon RTBF has been in charge on even years, with both broadcasters sharing the broadcasting rights.

Contest history

[edit]

Belgium has participated in Eurovision since the very first contest in 1956, however Tonia's fourth place at the 1966 contest remained the country's most notable achievement until Jean Vallée placed second in 1978. In the 80s, following good results for Stella (fourth in 1982) and Jacques Zegers (fifth in 1984), Belgium finished last for the sixth time in 1985. This was followed by Belgium's first and (as of 2023) only Eurovision victory in 1986, when Sandra Kim won with her song "J'aime la vie". Although the lyrics claimed she was 15 years old, she was actually only 13 which prompted runner-up Switzerland to petition for her disqualification, to no avail.[c] By winning in 1986, Belgium became the last of the seven Eurovision founding countries to win the contest, as Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, Luxembourg, Italy and Germany all had won at least once before. Belgium scored an absolute record at the time, with Kim earning a never-seen-before number of 176 points (that record remained until 1993, with Ireland scoring 187 points). With an average of 9.26 points per voting nation and 77.2% of the maximum possible score, as of 2022, Kim's record still ranks eighth among all Eurovision winners.

Belgium finished last for the seventh time at the 1993 contest, before achieving its only top ten result of the 90s decade at the 1998 contest, where Mélanie Cohl finished sixth. In the 2000s, Belgium experienced mixed fortunes: the country started the decade by finishing last for the eighth and (as of 2022) final time at the 2000 contest in Stockholm, before achieving its best result of the 21st century in 2003 when Urban Trad sang in an imaginary language and earned second place with 165 points, losing out to Turkey's Sertab Erener by just two points. The country then failed to qualify from the semi-finals for 5 consecutive contests from 2005 to 2009.

The 2010 entry for Belgium was Tom Dice, runner-up of the Belgian Flemish version of The X Factor in 2008. Dice finished first in his semi-final, allowing Belgium to participate in the final for the first time since 2004 and eventually finishing sixth overall, Belgium's best result since 2003 and the best result ever for a Flemish entrant (tied with 1959).[1] Belgium then experienced a mix of ups and downs for the remainder of the 2010s: while the country failed to qualify for the final on five occasions (in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2019), Belgium qualified in 2013 (with Roberto Bellarosa placing 12th) before scoring a three-year streak in the top ten, thanks to Loïc Nottet (fourth in 2015), Laura Tesoro (tenth in 2016) and Blanche (fourth in 2017). Following two non-qualifications with Sennek (2018) and Eliot (2019), Belgium recorded three consecutive qualifications with Hooverphonic (2021), Jérémie Makiese (2022) and Gustaph (2023), the latter finishing in seventh place overall.

Disparity between broadcasters

[edit]

There has been a significant difference in the results achieved by the Belgian participant broadcasters.[2] The Walloon broadcasters recorded Belgium's only win in 1986, all of Belgium's ten top-five placements, and 18 out of Belgium's 26 top ten placements. On the other hand, the Flemish broadcasters have placed in the top ten eight times, while scoring six out of Belgium's eight last-place finishes.[2] In the 1990s, the relegation rule was introduced, where the lowest-placing countries would not be allowed to compete the following year, to accommodate for the growing number of participating countries. Belgium was relegated three times, in 1994, 1997, and 2001; twice following a poor placing by a Flemish BRTN act the previous year, and once after Walloon RTBF act, "Envie de vivre" by Nathalie Sorce, placed last in 2000.[2]

Since the introduction of semi-finals in 2004, the broadcasters have scored similarly in terms of qualification: as of 2024, RTBF and VRT each qualified four times out of ten and nine semi-finals respectively.[3]

Participation overview

[edit]
Table key
1 First place
2 Second place
3 Third place
Last place
X Entry selected but did not compete
Upcoming event
Year Artist Song Language Final Points Semi Points
1956 Fud Leclerc "Messieurs les noyés de la Seine" French [d] [d] No semi-finals
Mony Marc "Le Plus Beau Jour de ma vie" French
1957 Bobbejaan Schoepen "Straatdeuntje" Dutch 8 5
1958 Fud Leclerc "Ma petite chatte" French 5 8
1959 Bob Benny "Hou toch van mij" Dutch 6 9
1960 Fud Leclerc "Mon amour pour toi" French 6 9
1961 Bob Benny "September, gouden roos" Dutch 15 ◁ 1
1962 Fud Leclerc "Ton nom" French 13 ◁ 0
1963 Jacques Raymond "Waarom?" Dutch 10 4
1964 Robert Cogoi "Près de ma rivière" French 10 2
1965 Lize Marke "Als het weer lente is" Dutch 15 ◁ 0
1966 Tonia "Un peu de poivre, un peu de sel" French 4 14
1967 Louis Neefs "Ik heb zorgen" Dutch 7 8
1968 Claude Lombard "Quand tu reviendras" French 7 8
1969 Louis Neefs "Jennifer Jennings" Dutch 7 10
1970 Jean Vallée "Viens l'oublier" French 8 5
1971 Jacques Raymond and Lily Castel "Goeie morgen, morgen" Dutch 14 68
1972 Serge and Christine Ghisoland "À la folie ou pas du tout" French 17 55
1973 Nicole and Hugo "Baby Baby" Dutch 17 ◁ 58
1974 Jacques Hustin "Fleur de liberté" French 9 10
1975 Ann Christy "Gelukkig zijn" Dutch, English 15 17
1976 Pierre Rapsat "Judy et Cie" French 8 68
1977 Dream Express "A Million in One, Two, Three" English 7 69
1978 Jean Vallée "L'amour ça fait chanter la vie" French 2 125
1979 Micha Marah "Hey Nana" Dutch 18 ◁ 5
1980 Telex "Euro-Vision" French 17 14
1981 Emly Starr "Samson" Dutch 13 40
1982 Stella "Si tu aimes ma musique" French 4 96
1983 Pas de Deux "Rendez-vous" Dutch 18 13
1984 Jacques Zegers "Avanti la vie" French 5 70
1985 Linda Lepomme "Laat me nu gaan" Dutch 19 ◁ 7
1986 Sandra Kim "J'aime la vie" French 1 176
1987 Liliane Saint-Pierre "Soldiers of Love" Dutch 11 56
1988 Reynaert "Laissez briller le soleil" French 18 5
1989 Ingeborg "Door de wind" Dutch 19 13
1990 Philippe Lafontaine "Macédomienne" French 12 46
1991 Clouseau "Geef het op" Dutch 16 23
1992 Morgane "Nous on veut des violons" French 20 11
1993 Barbara "Iemand als jij" Dutch 25 ◁ 3 Kvalifikacija za Millstreet
1995 Frédéric Etherlinck "La voix est libre" French 20 8 No semi-finals
1996 Lisa del Bo "Liefde is een kaartspel" Dutch 16 22 12 45
1998 Mélanie Cohl "Dis oui" French 6 122 No semi-finals
1999 Vanessa Chinitor "Like the Wind" English 12 38
2000 Nathalie Sorce "Envie de vivre" French 24 ◁ 2
2002 Sergio and the Ladies "Sister" English 13 33
2003 Urban Trad "Sanomi" Imaginary 2 165
2004 Xandee "1 Life" English 22 7 Top 11 in 2003 contest[e]
2005 Nuno Resende "Le Grand Soir" French Failed to qualify 22 29
2006 Kate Ryan "Je t'adore" English 12 69
2007 The KMG's "Love Power" English 26 14
2008 Ishtar "O Julissi" Imaginary 17 16
2009 Copycat "Copycat" English 17 1
2010 Tom Dice "Me and My Guitar" English 6 143 1 167
2011 Witloof Bay "With Love Baby" English Failed to qualify 11 53
2012 Iris "Would You?" English 17 16
2013 Roberto Bellarosa "Love Kills" English 12 71 5 75
2014 Axel Hirsoux "Mother" English Failed to qualify 14 28
2015 Loïc Nottet "Rhythm Inside" English 4 217 2 149
2016 Laura Tesoro "What's the Pressure" English 10 181 3 274
2017 Blanche "City Lights" English 4 363 4 165
2018 Sennek "A Matter of Time" English Failed to qualify 12 91
2019 Eliot "Wake Up" English 13 70
2020 Hooverphonic "Release Me" English Contest cancelled[f] X
2021 Hooverphonic "The Wrong Place" English 19 74 9 117
2022 Jérémie Makiese "Miss You" English 19 64 8 151
2023 Gustaph "Because of You" English 7 182 8 90
2024 Mustii "Before the Party's Over" English Failed to qualify 13 18
2025 TBD 1 February 2025[4] Upcoming

Hostings

[edit]
Year Location Venue Presenter
1987 Brussels Centenary Palace Viktor Lazlo

Awards

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Barbara Dex Award

[edit]
Year Performer Host city Ref.
2000 Nathalie Sorce Sweden Stockholm
[edit]

Conductors

[edit]
Year Conductor[g] Notes Ref.
1956 Léo Souris [6]
1957 Germany Willy Berking Host conductor
1958 Netherlands Dolf van der Linden
1959 Francis Bay
1960 Henri Segers
1961 Francis Bay
1962 Henri Segers
1963 Francis Bay
1964 Henri Segers
1965 Gaston Nuyts
1966 Luxembourg Jean Roderes Host conductor
1967 Francis Bay
1968 Henri Segers
1969 Francis Bay
1970 Jack Say [7]
1971 Francis Bay
1972 Henri Segers
1973 Francis Bay
1974 France Pierre Chiffre
1975 Francis Bay
1976 France Michel Bernholc
1977 United Kingdom Alyn Ainsworth
1978 France Jean Musy
1979 Francis Bay
1980 No conductor [8]
1981 Giuseppe Marchese
1982 Jack Say
1983 Freddy Sunder
1984 Jo Carlier
1985 Sweden Curt-Eric Holmquist Host conductor
1986 Jo Carlier
1987 Freddy Sunder [h]
1988 Daniel Willem
1989 Freddy Sunder
1990 Rony Brack
1991 Roland Verlooven
1992 Frank Fievez
1993 Bert Candries
1995 Alec Mansion
1996 Bob Porter
1998 No conductor

Commentators and spokespersons

[edit]

Over the years, commentary for the contest has been provided by several experienced Belgian radio and television presenters, including Jacques Mercier, Luc Appermont, and Paule Herreman. From 1991, André Vermeulen provided the Dutch-language commentary every year except 1996. Jean-Pierre Hautier provided French-language commentary from 1994 to 2012, later dying shortly after the 2012 contest. In 1962, BRT retransmitted the commentary feed from the Dutch broadcaster NTS, possibly for financial reasons.

VRT supplied an additional commentator to join André Vermeulen starting in 1998; between 1999 and 2010, dual commentary was provided by either Bart Peeters or Anja Daems. Peeters provided the commentary during the years when VRT selected the entries, whilst Daems commentated the years in which RTBF selected the entries. Sven Pichal replaced Daems in 2011, whilst Peter Van de Veire replaced Peeters. In 2007, Jean-Louis Lahaye joined Jean-Pierre Hautier as a supplementary commentator for RTBF. After Hautier's death in 2012, Lahaye was joined by Maureen Louys in 2013.

Year Flemish commentator Walloon commentator Spokesperson Ref.
1956 Commentary via Dutch NTS (Piet de Nuyl Jr.)[9][10] Commentary via Swiss Broadcasting Corporation[9][11] No spokesperson
1957 Nic Bal Janine Lambotte Bert Leysen
1958 Arlette Vincent Paule Herreman
1959 Paule Herreman Bert Leysen
1960 Georges Désir Arlette Vincent
1961 Commentary via RTF France Ward Bogaert
1962 Commentary via NTS the Netherlands Nicole Védrès Arlette Vincent
1963 Herman Verelst, Denise Maes Pierre Delhasse Ward Bogaert
1964 Herman Verelst Paule Herreman André Hagon
1965 Ward Bogaert
1966 André Hagon
1967 Ward Bogaert
1968 André Hagon
1969 Jan Theys Ward Bogaert
1970 André Hagon
1971 Herman Verelst No spokesperson
1972
1973
1974 Georges Désir André Hagon
1975 Jan Theys Paule Herreman Ward Bogaert
1976 Luc Appermont Georges Désir André Hagon
1977 Patrick Duhamel An Ploegaerts
1978 Claude Delacroix André Hagon
1979 Paule Herreman An Ploegaerts
1980 Jacques Mercier Jacques Olivier
1981 Walter De Meyere
1982 Jacques Olivier
1983 An Ploegaerts
1984 Jacques Olivier
1985 An Ploegaerts
1986 Patrick Duhamel Jacques Olivier
1987 Claude Delacroix An Ploegaerts
1988 Pierre Collard-Bovy Jacques Olivier
1989 Jacques Mercier An Ploegaerts
1990 Claude Delacroix Jacques Olivier
1991 André Vermeulen An Ploegaerts
1992 Jacques Olivier
1993 An Ploegaerts
1994 Jean-Pierre Hautier Did not participate
1995 Marie-Françoise Renson "Soda"
1996 Michel Follet, Johan Verstreken Jean-Pierre Hautier, Sandra Kim An Ploegaerts
1997 André Vermeulen Jean-Pierre Hautier Did not participate
1998 André Vermeulen, Andrea Croonenberghs Marie-Hélène Vanderborght
1999 André Vermeulen, Bart Peeters Sabine De Vos
2000 André Vermeulen, Anja Daems Thomas Van Hamme
2001 Did not participate
2002 André Vermeulen, Bart Peeters Geena Lisa
2003 André Vermeulen, Anja Daems Corinne Boulangier
2004 André Vermeulen, Bart Peeters Martine Prenen
2005 André Vermeulen, Anja Daems Armelle Gysen
2006 André Vermeulen, Bart Peeters Yasmine
2007 André Vermeulen, Anja Daems Jean-Pierre Hautier, Jean-Louis Lahaye Maureen Louys
2008 André Vermeulen, Bart Peeters Sandrine Van Handenhoven
2009 André Vermeulen, Anja Daems Maureen Louys
2010 André Vermeulen, Bart Peeters Katja Retsin
2011 André Vermeulen, Sven Pichal Maureen Louys
2012 André Vermeulen, Peter Van de Veire Peter Van de Veire
2013 André Vermeulen, Tom De Cock Maureen Louys, Jean-Louis Lahaye Barbara Louys
2014 Peter Van de Veire, Eva Daeleman Angelique Vlieghe
2015 Walid
2016 Peter Van de Veire Umesh Vangaver
2017 Fanny Gillard
2018 Danira Boukhriss
2019 David Jeanmotte
2021 Fanny Jandrain, Jean-Louis Lahaye Danira Boukhriss
2022 Maureen Louys, Jean-Louis Lahaye David Jeanmotte
2023 Bart Cannaerts
2024 Livia Dushkoff
[edit]

See also

[edit]

Notes and references

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Since 1998. Previously: Nationaal Instituut voor de Radio-omroep (NIR; 1956–1960), Belgische Radio- en Televisieomroep (BRT; 1961–1990), and Belgische Radio- en Televisieomroep Nederlandstalige Uitzendingen (BRTN; 1991–1997).
  2. ^ Since 1978. Previously: Institut national belge de radiodiffusion (INR; 1956–1960) and Radio-Télévision Belge (RTB; 1961–1977).
  3. ^ Since the 1990 contest, the minimum age for participation is 16, meaning that Kim shall remain the youngest winner unless the age limit is waivered.
  4. ^ a b The 1956 contest had secret voting and, apart from the winner, no results were released.
  5. ^ According to the then-Eurovision rules, the top ten non-Big Four countries from the previous year along with the Big Four automatically qualified for the Grand Final without having to compete in semi-finals. For example, if Germany and France placed inside the top ten, the 11th and 12th spots were advanced to next year's Grand Final along with all countries ranked in the top ten.
  6. ^ The 2020 contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  7. ^ All conductors are of Belgian nationality unless otherwise noted.
  8. ^ The contest was organized by RTBF, but the Belgian entry was from BRT, hence Walloon Jo Carlier serving as musical director (and conducting for Cyprus) while a Flemish conductor led the Belgian entry.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Eurovision 2010: complete televoting and jury results". wiwibloggs.com. 30 June 2010. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  2. ^ a b c Tielens, Filip (15 May 2021). "Waarom Vlaanderen telkens slecht scoort op het Eurovisiesongfestival". De Standaard. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Belgium". Eurovision.tv.
  4. ^ Sokol, Kirsten (14 November 2024). "De kleinzoon van Louis Neefs en de zus van Metejoor: dit zijn de 8 kandidaten voor Eurosong 2025" [Louis Neefs' grandson and Metejoor's sister: these are the 8 candidates for Eurosong 2025]. VRT NWS (in Flemish). VRT. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  5. ^ Adams, William Lee (9 July 2015). "Poll: Who was the worst dressed Barbara Dex Award winner?". Wiwibloggs. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  6. ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (2012). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Vol. One: The 1950s and 1960s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. pp. 93–101. ISBN 978-1-84583-065-6.
  7. ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (2014). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Vol. Two: The 1970s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. pp. 142–168. ISBN 978-1-84583-093-9.
  8. ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (2016). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Vol. Three: The 1980s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84583-118-9.
  9. ^ a b "Binnen- en buitenlandse televisie programma's van 20 tot 26 Mei 1956". De radio- en televisieweek (in Dutch). Vol. 12, no. 21. NIR. 20–26 May 1956. p. 19. OCLC 1399842623.
  10. ^ Hendrickx, Jonathan; van Biesen, Jasper (2021). 65 jaar België op het Songfestival [65 years of Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest] (in Dutch). Mechelen: Baeckens Books. pp. 15–16. ISBN 978-90-5924-939-4. OCLC 1256401439.
  11. ^ "INR: Émissions françaises de télévision". Micro magazine (in French). Vol. 12, no. 580. INR. 20 May 1956. p. 42. OCLC 1400213208.
  12. ^ "De festival-herinneringen van Jan Theys". Story. 12 May 1987.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g Granger, Anthony (20 May 2018). "EBU Wants to See More Commentators Attend the Eurovision Song Contest". eurovoix.com. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  14. ^ "Peter Van de Veire: "Als ik een voetballer was, zou ik iedereen onderuit schoppen"". niewsblad.be (in Dutch). 3 March 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  15. ^ Granger, Anthony (22 April 2018). "Belgium: Danira Boukhriss Terkessidis Revealed as Spokesperson". eurovoix.com. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  16. ^ "Tweede halve finale van het Songfestival verhuist naar Ketnet". hln.be (in Dutch). 26 April 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  17. ^ Granger, Anthony (14 March 2019). "Belgium: Maureen Louys & Jean-Louis Lahaye Confirmed As Commentators For Tel Aviv". eurovoix.com. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  18. ^ "Eurovision 2019 Spokespersons – Who will announce the points?". eurovisionworld.com. 18 May 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  19. ^ "TV-gids". één.be.
  20. ^ "Beleef het Eurovisiesongfestival bij de VRT". communicatie.vrt.be (in Flemish). 7 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  21. ^ "Eurovision 2021 : 3 soirées exceptionnelles à ne pas manquer sur la RTBF !". rtbf.be.
  22. ^ "Jouw voorjaar bij Eén". Een.be (in Dutch). VRT. Archived from the original on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  23. ^ "Eurovision 2022 : Préparez-vous à voter pour votre candidat préféré !". RTBF (in French). Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  24. ^ "Ontdek het voorjaar 2023 van Eén". communicatie.een.be (in Flemish). Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  25. ^ "Bart Cannaerts maakt Belgische jurypunten bekend in finale Songfestival 2023". Songfestival.be (in Dutch). 11 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  26. ^ van Waarden, Franciska (29 March 2024). "Belgium: Livia Dushkoff Spokesperson for Eurovision 2024". Eurovoix. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  27. ^ Farren, Neil (17 April 2024). "Belgium: RTBF Reveal Eurovision 2024 Broadcast Plans". Eurovoix. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  28. ^ "Voici le dispositif mis en place par la RTBF pour l'Eurovision" [Here is the plan put in place by RTBF for Eurovision]. Soirmag (in French). 15 April 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
  29. ^ Farren, Neil (26 April 2024). "Belgium: VRT Reveals Eurovision 2024 Broadcast Plans". Eurovoix. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  30. ^ "Concours Eurovision de la chanson 2024 | Finale" [Eurovision Song Contest 2024 | Final]. Auvio (in French). RTBF. Retrieved 26 April 2024.