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MANILA, Philippines – The Miss Universe organization (MUO) refuted recent reports that Saudi Arabia is participating in the pageant’s 2024 edition after a beauty queen named Rumy Alqahtani claimed that she would be the country’s first representative in the competition.
“We would like to categorically state that no selection process has been conducted in Saudi Arabia, and any such claims are false and misleading,” MUO said in a press release dated Monday, April 1.
The organization also emphasized that their selection process is a “rigorous process that adheres strictly to [their] policies and guidelines,” and that each country has their own set of established criteria and regulations.
MUO noted that while they’re set to welcome over 100 contestants of different nationalities for its 2024 edition, Saudi Arabia is “not yet among [the] countries fully confirmed participating this year.”
“We are currently undergoing a rigorous vetting process qualifying a potential candidate to be awarded the franchise and assigned a national director to represent. Saudi Arabia will not have this opportunity to join our prestigious pageant until this is final and confirmed by our approval committee,” they added.
Saudi Arabia’s participation in the pageant made waves in late March following Alqahtani’s post. The beauty queen shared a photo of herself posing with the Saudi Arabia flag and a sash that read “Miss Universe Saudi Arabia.”
“I am honored to participate in the Miss Universe International 2024 competition,” she wrote. “This is the first participation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Miss Universe competition.”
As of writing, Alqahtani has yet to respond to Miss Universe’s statement. According to her Instagram, the fashion model also previously competed in the Miss Planet International and Miss Global Asian pageants.
The Miss Universe 2024 coronation night is set to take place in September in Mexico. Nicaragua’s Sheynnis Palacios will crown her successor.
Meanwhile, the Philippines will crown a representative for the pageant on May 22. – Rappler.com
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