EFDSS ran competitions of traditional singers!
For what reason?
Why didn't they present traditional singers as singers! What was the pleasure of having them compete? Was that the only way they were offering to present them. Seems to me that the presentation was flawed from the start. I think it would behove the presenters to have show cased the unique abilities of each singer & their styles rather than throw them to the lions.
Does it matter that the singers had their own reason for excepting; be it their last chance to present, their only chance to compare their styles with others, they wanted thier last harrah, so they got up their by the free will.
I would think that a traditional music society would care more about the differences in the singers, the songs, their quirks, the phrasing, ornamentation, etc then who was better. Put an 85 yr old whose vocie has lost alot over the yrs up with a 55 yr old & all you're gobnna get is the quality of the younger person's voice & you miss all the rest.

Your presentation in asking these questions puzzels me.
Why don't you just say what you mean.
Tell us how you felt about this without bringing someone else's name into it & then ask others to comment on it.
It's a fair enough question to ask?
Is that all you're gonna ask on the subject, that they could've said no, that's not near the input you're asking of others.

Barry