Latvia was represented by Marie N, with the song "I Wanna" (previously billed as "I Wonna"), at the 2002 Eurovision Song Contest which took place on 25 May in Tallinn, Estonia. It went on to bring Latvia victory in only their third Eurovision participation. This was at the time the shortest time lapse between first participation and first victory of any country not present at the inaugural contest of 1956; however it was bettered in 2004 when Ukraine won the contest at their second attempt. Latvia had originally been relegated from the 2002 contest following a bad result in 2001, but were reprieved when Portugal opted out.
The final took place on 2 March 2002 at the Olympic Centre in Ventspils, hosted by Ija Circene and Ēriks Niedra. The song with the highest number of votes from the public, "I Wonna" performed by Marie N, was declared the winner.[1]
On the night of the final Marie N performed 23rd in the running order, following Slovenia and preceding Lithuania. Rather than the song itself, the exceptionally slick and memorable stage presentation and choreography of Marie N and her backers, combined with the advantageous late performance draw, is largely credited for the victory.[citation needed] When voting started the contest quickly turned into a two-horse race between Latvia and Malta with voting always very tight between the two. Malta held a marginal lead over the first half before Latvia gradually edged ahead, finally claiming victory with 176 points to Malta's 164.[2] "I Wanna" picked up maximum 12s from Estonia, Germany, Israel, Lithuania and Spain, with only Romania failing to award the song any points at all. The 12 points from the Latvian televote were awarded to Estonia.[3]
Latvia
