The Palace of Sports was confirmed by officials as the host venue for the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 in September 2004 . However , in order to host the contest , the facilities had been brought up to the standard required by the European Broadcasting Union ( EBU ) . At the end of December 2004 , work began on the renovation of the hall , for which approximately 4 million francs were allocated . Renovation works were to be finished by 20 April , however , they were completed at the beginning of May . The arena could accommodate over 5,000 seated spectators . Additionally 2,000 press delegates were catered for
Eurovision Song Contest 2005
Eurovision Song Contest 2005
Palace of Sports, Kiev