They should have them holding flags in the air as well then. The whole flag waving thing is overdone anyway, maybe more of the audience could just concentrate on the music.
I think it would be nice if the background image was like a season thing, and in the choruses there were cherry blossoms and so on, since spring is supposed to represent new beginnings after the death of winter. ^^
I doubt there are great expectations of qualification, even though I think it is one of the few good songs that never guarantees anything, particularly for smaller countries.