From 1997 to 2001 , countries qualified for each contest based on the average of their points totals for their entries over the previous five years . However , there was much discontent voiced over this system because a country could be excluded merely because of poor previous results , which did not take into account how good a fresh attempt might be . The worst example of this was that Bosnia and Herzegovina finished 7th with 86 points in the 1999 Contest , but it was n't enough to save the country being relegated from taking part in the 2000 Contest . This led the EBU to create what was hoped would be a more permanent solution to the problem . A qualification round , known as the semi-final , was introduced for the 2004 Contest . This semi-final was held on the Wednesday during Eurovision Week , and was a programme similar in format to the grand final , whose time slot remained 19:00 UTC on the Saturday . The highest-placed songs from the semi-final qualified for the grand final , while the lower-placed songs were eliminated . From 2005 to 2007 , the semi-final programme was held on the Thursday of Eurovision Week . In these two shows there was enough time to include all the countries who wished to participate
2000 Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2000
Eurovision Song Contest