Latest: India's Harnaaz Sandhu wins Miss Universe 2021
The stage is set for the crowning of the next Miss Universe, despite the threat of the Omicron coronavirus variant and murmurs of boycotts against the host country Israel.
On Sunday, reigning Miss Universe Andrea Meza will crown her successor from among 80 contestants, following two weeks of intense interviews, grooming and rehearsals.
First-time participants this year includes Miss Bahrain Manar Nadeem Deyani, who made a statement at the preliminary competition on Friday. The first televised event, which also featured contestants in their national costumes as well as evening gowns, was a precursor to Sunday's coronation night where contestants will be subsequently eliminated as the number of finalists are narrowed down, before an eventual winner is crowned.
Scroll through the gallery below for pictures from the national costume round of Miss Universe 2021:
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Manar Nadeem Deyani, Miss Universe Bahrain 2021, on stage during the National Costume Show at the pageant in Eilat, Israel. Photo: Benjamin Askinas / Miss Universe -
Miss Morocco, Kawtar Benhalima. All photos: AFP -
Spain's Sarah Loinaz. -
Miss Russia, Ralina Arabova. -
Miss Puerto Rico, Michelle Colon. -
Miss Romania, Carmina Cotfas. -
Miss Poland, Agata Wdowiak. -
Miss Peru, Yely Rivera. -
Miss Philippines, Beatrice Gomez. -
Miss Panama, Brenda Smith. -
Miss Nigeria, Maristella Okpala. -
Miss Nepal, Sujita Basnet. -
Miss Nicaragua, Allison Wassmer. -
Miss Mauritius, Anne Murielle Ravina. -
Miss Malta, Jade Cini. -
Miss Laos, Tonkham Phonchanhueang. -
Miss Kosovo, Tuti Sejdiu. -
Miss Kenya, Roshanara Ebrahim. -
Miss Korea, Jisu Kim. -
Miss Kazakhstan, Aziza Tokashova. -
Miss Japan, Juri Watanabe. -
Miss Jamaica, Daena Soares. -
Miss Italy, Caterina Di Fuccia. -
Miss Iceland, Elisa Groa Steinþorsdottir. -
Miss India, Harnaaz Sandhu. -
Miss Vietnam, Nguyen Huynh Kim Duyen. -
Miss Honduras, Rose Melendez. -
Miss Venezuela, Luiseth Materan. -
Miss USA, Elle Smith. -
Miss Ukraine, Anna Neplyakh. -
Miss Guatemala, Dannia Guevara. -
Miss Great Britain, Emma Collingridge. -
Miss Sweden, Moa Sandberg. -
Miss Germany, Hannah Seifer. -
Miss Czech Republic, Karolína Kokesova. -
Miss Costa Rica, Valeria Rees. -
Miss China, Shi Yin Yang. -
Miss Canada, Tamara Jemuovic.
Omicron restrictions
Following the postponement of the 2020 event, which was eventually held earlier in 2021 owing to the Covid-19 pandemic – which also cut short Meza's reign as Miss Universe – this year's event also faced a potential delay with the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.
But last month, Israel's Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov said the global contest would go ahead as planned and participants would be granted waivers while possibly undergoing PCR testing every 48 hours, along with other precautionary measures.
"This is an event that will be broadcast in 174 countries, a very important event, an event that Eilat, too, is very much in need of," he told reporters before the weekly cabinet meeting, where ministers were due to vote on the anti-Omicron measures. "We will know how to manage this event. So, by using the waivers committee, we will have events like this, to which the country already committed itself and cannot cancel."
Briefing a parliamentary committee, senior health ministry official Sharon Alroy-Preis said earlier this month that Israel was putting together a safety plan for the event and could limit admission to the pageant from countries deemed to be high-risk.
Earlier in August, Miss Malaysia organisers cited coronavirus restrictions as their reason for not participating.
No politics, please
Pressure has also been mounting on some contestants participating in the pageant to drop out in solidarity with Palestinians.
Last month, during a tour of Jerusalem's Old City, reigning Miss Universe Andrea Meza called for contestants to separate politics from the long-running beauty pageant.
"Everyone with different beliefs, with different backgrounds, with different cultures, they all come together and when you are in there, you forget about politics, about your religion," Meza, who was crowned Miss Mexico last year, told AP. "It’s just about embracing other women."
Scroll through the gallery below for images of Andrea Meza touring Jerusalem's Old City:
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Miss Universe Andrea Meza from Mexico is backdropped by the Western Wall and Al Aqsa Mosque during a tour in Jerusalem's Old City. EPA -
Meza is visiting Israel ahead of the 70th Miss Universe contest that will be held in Eilat city at the Red Sea resort on December 12. EPA -
The pageant is in the spotlight for being held in Israel amid boycott calls in solidarity with Palestinians. EPA -
Meza passes security as she visits the Western Wall during a tour in Jerusalem's Old City. EPA -
Meza, 27, was crowned Miss Universe in May, during a Covid-delayed ceremony in Florida. EPA -
Meza at the Western Wall. EPA -
Meza said the long-running beauty pageant shouldn't be politicised. EPA -
Meza visits the Jesus Tomb inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. EPA -
Meza prays at the Stone of the Anointing as she visits the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. EPA -
Outside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. EPA -
The stone slab is traditionally believed to be the stone where Jesus's body was prepared for burial. AP -
Meza inside Jesus Tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. EPA -
Meza wore a flowing, full-length dress with flat sandals as she toured the Old City. AP -
Meza meandered through the mostly empty cobblestoned alleyways of the Old City, stopping to peek into shops as a media scrum followed. AP -
Meza, who is a software engineer, said she was "just a girl", from a small town in Mexico who was not a "perfect and flawless" beauty queen. AP -
Meza said she had worked hard to become Miss Universe and that the competition wasn't only about parading women in bikinis, but also about testing their intelligence. AP -
Asked if she could offer a solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, Meza said she didn't believe in violence and that communication was key. AFP -
The Miss Universe pageant is also expected to draw contestants from Morocco and the UAE, which recently normalised ties with Israel. AFP -
Meza checks out shops in the Old City. AFP -
Meza by the entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City. Reuters -
Miss Universe's visit to Old City was part of the preparation for Israel hosting Miss Universe 2021 on December 12. Reuters -
Israel's Tourism Ministry hosted Meza's trip to the Old City. Reuters
Meza, who is a software engineer, said she was “just a girl” from a small town in Mexico who was not a “perfect and flawless” beauty queen. She said she had worked hard to become Miss Universe and that the competition wasn't only about parading women in bikinis, but also about testing their intelligence.
Asked if she could offer a solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, she said she didn't believe in violence and that communication was key.
“People have to make compromises and I really hope that we can make this through talking and conversation,” she said.
Meza's comments come following the withdrawal of Miss Greece Rafaela Plastira in October.
"I will not be attending Miss Universe this year. The reason for that is the country. I am absolutely not disrespecting the country. I love all countries from all over the world but my heart goes to all the people fighting for their lives in Israel & Palestine. I can’t go up that stage and act like nothing is happening when people are fighting for [their] lives out there," Plastira posted on Instagram.
Her replacement, Katerina Kouvoutsaki, was swiftly announced, but organisers last week named a new representative, citing "health reasons" for the change, and said Sofia Arapogianni would instead attend the event in Israel.
"As of today, the new Miss Universe Greece 2021 is Sofia Arapogianni. Our beauty queen Katerina Kouvoutsaki will not be able to represent our country, in the crown of the universe, for health reasons, which do not allow her to travel," Star GS Hellas posted on Instagram.
However, in November, the president of Star GS Hellas said Plastira was never Greece's representative for the Miss Universe pageant.
"Regarding the issue of Rafaela Plastira's departure from Miss Universe 2021, in which the Palestinian issue was cited, it is all false," Giorgos Kouvaris posted on Facebook. "Rafaela Plastira is Star Hellas 2019 and [that] is her only title, she never had the official anointing to represent our country in Miss Universe 2021 as Miss Universe Greece.
"I would like to inform all Greeks, that now, the national organisation GS Hellas, is the one who preserves the legal rights and contracts for Greece's representative, but also its participation in Miss Universe 2021. Everything else is false, unsolicited and cunningly alleged misinformation."
Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane was also in the centre of a controversy when her country's ruling party, the African National Congress, urged her to boycott the pageant because of it being held in Israel. “The damage to her reputation will far exceed any glamour that may arise," the party said after withdrawing its support for the event because of local organisers' plans to participate in the contest.
Mswane landed in Israel on November 27, proudly posing with the South African flag.
"Ready as I’ll ever be. I’m so grateful for this opportunity to represent my country on the @missuniverse stage! South Africa! Let’s do this!" she captioned the photo.
South Africa has had a good run in the Miss Universe pageant in recent years, with Miss South Africa Zozibini Tunzi winning the Miss Universe crown in 2019 and Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters (now Tebow) winning it in 2017.
Paula M Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organisation, had earlier said Israel has been on the shortlist of host countries “due to its rich history, beautiful landscapes, myriad of cultures and appeal as a global tourist destination”.
The judges
Sitting on the judging table this year are beauty entrepreneur and model Lori Harvey, whose father Steve Harvey is also hosting the pageant, supermodel Adriana Lima, Puerto Rican actress Adamari Lopez, Miss Universe 2016 Iris Mittenaere, Filipino actress Marian Rivera, The Bold and the Beautiful star Rena Sofer and Bollywood actress Urvashi Rautela, who represented India at the Miss Universe pageant in 2015.
Israeli pop star Noa Kirel and American singer-songwriter JoJo will perform on stage.
The crown
The Miss Universe crown is designed by Lebanese jewellery house Mouawad. The family-run jewellery and watchmaker was established in Beirut in the early 1900s, and has partnered with Miss Universe Organisation to create three crowns for Miss Universe, Miss USA and Miss Teen USA.
The Mouawad Power Of Unity crown is a symbol of strength in diversity and of the power of women, Miss Universe said.
"Motifs of interwoven petals, leaves and vines, crafted in 18-karat gold and set with white diamonds, symbolise community bonds. The central magnificent shield-cut golden canary diamond weighing 62.83 carats denotes power, while two golden canary diamonds on either side create a sense of harmony. The sun-like warmth of these three diamonds represents the new golden age of women," reads a description on the pageant's website.
– This story was first published on November 23, 2021. Additional reporting by AP and Reuters
Scroll through the gallery below for more pictures from the preliminary round of the Miss Universe 2021 pageant:
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Miss Bahrain, Manar Nadeem Deyani, on stage during the preliminary stage of the 70th Miss Universe in Israel's southern Red Sea coastal city of Eilat. All photos: AFP -
Miss Cambodia, Ngin Marady. -
Miss Cameroon, Akomo Minkata. -
Miss Cayman Islands, Georgina Kerford. -
Miss Australia, Daria Varlamova. -
Miss Aruba, Thessaly Zimmerman. -
Miss Armenia, Nane Avetisyan. -
Miss Chile, Antonia Figueroa. -
Miss China, Shi Yin Yang. -
Miss Colombia, Valeria Ayos. -
Miss Croatia, Ora Ivanisevic. -
Miss Czech Republic, Karolina Kokesova. -
Miss Czech Republic, Karolina Kokesova. -
Miss Denmark, Sara Langtved. -
Miss Dominican Republic, Debbie Aflalo. -
Miss El Salvador, Alejandra Gavidia. -
Miss Equatorial Guinea, Chelsea Martina Mituy. -
Miss Ghana, Naa Morkor Commodore. -
Miss Finland, Essi Unkuri. -
Miss Kosovo, Tuti Sejdiu. -
Miss Ireland, Katharine Walker. -
Miss Hungary, Jazmin Viktoria. -
Miss Great Britain, Emma Collingridge. -
Miss Honduras, Rose Melendez. -
Miss Israel, Noa Cochva. -
Miss Romania, Carmina Cotfas. -
Miss Slovakia, Veronika Scepankova. -
Miss South Africa, Lalela Mswane. -
Miss Sweden, Moa Sandberg. -
Miss Norway, Nora Nakken. -
Miss Panama, Brenda Smith. -
Miss Mauritius, Anne Murielle Ravina. -
Miss Malta, Jade Cini. -
Miss Universe 2021 on stage at the end of the preliminary round. -
Miss Singapore, Nandita Banna. -
Miss Russia, Ralina Arabova. -
Miss Puerto Rico, Michelle Colon. -
Miss USA, Elle Smith. -
Miss Turkey, Cemrenaz Turhan. -
Miss Portugal, Oricia Dominguez. -
Miss Vietnam, Nguyn Hunh Kim Duyen. -
Miss Ukraine, Anna Neplyakh. -
Miss Spain, Sarah Loinaz. -
Miss Philippines, Beatrice Gomez. -
Miss Paraguay, Nadia Ferreira. -
Miss Poland, Agata Wdowiak. -
Miss Peru, Yely Rivera. -
Miss Netherlands, Julia Sinning. -
Miss Namibia, Chelsi Shikongo. -
Miss Morocco, Kawtar Benhalima. -
Miss Korea, Jisu Kim. -
Miss Japan, Juri Watanabe. -
Miss Mexico, Debora Hallal. -
India's Harnaaz Sandhu. AP -
Miss France Clemence Botino. AP -
Miss Colombia Valeria Ayos. AP -
Miss Canada Tamara Jemuovic. AP -
Miss Italy, Caterina Di Fuccia. -
Miss Honduras, Rose Melendez. -
Miss Iceland, Elesa Groa Steinþorsdottir. -
Miss Germany, Hannah Seifer. -
Miss British Virgin Islands, Xaria Penn. -
Miss Croatia, Ora Ivanisevic.
