Prior to the , Cyprus had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 20 times since its first entry in 1981. It then participated yearly, only missing the 1988 contest when its selected song "Thimame" by was disqualified for being previously released, and the 2001 contest when it was relegated. To this point, the country's best placing was fifth, which it achieved twice: in 1982 with the song "Mono I Agapi" performed by Anna Vissi and in with "Mana Mou" performed by Hara and Andreas Constantinou. Cyprus' least successful result was in when it placed last with the song "Tora Zo" by Elpida, receiving only four points in total.
