Author: Ariel Shalit
Associated Press
Eilat, Israel (Associated Press)-India’s Harnaaz Sandhu was crowned as the 70th Miss Universe on December 12 and ranked among the top 80 contestants in a beauty contest influenced by politics and pandemics.
The former Miss Universe Mexico’s Andre Mesa crowned her successor, a Bollywood actress, in the Israeli Red Sea resort of Eilat.The pageant is held in the middle of the night and ends at 5 a.m. local time (7 p.m. Pacific Standard Time) to accommodate the prime time of the United States
The beauty contest includes traditional national costume displays, swimwear and a series of interview questions to test the participants’ public speaking skills. The top 10 showcased intricate and dazzling gold, silver or bronze long dresses. The Filipino contestant Beatrice Luigi Gomez wore a one-sleeve asymmetrical tailored dress, highlighting what she called a new tattoo that “celebrates her femininity.”
But in recent weeks, due to other reasons, this game has also attracted people’s attention.
The grassroots boycott led by Palestine urged participants to skip the event to protest Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.
Finally, only Malaysia, a Muslim country that has close relations with the Palestinians, did not send a representative, citing the global COVID-19 situation.
The South African government, which also strongly supports the Palestinian cause, withdrew its support for the participation of the country’s representatives.
In an interview last month, Meza urged contestants to exclude politics from the pageant, saying that the gathering was aimed at bringing together women from different backgrounds. “When you are there, you will forget politics, forget your religion,” she told the Associated Press at the time.
Sara Salansky, an official with the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, said that Israel was selected as the host country for the competition earlier this year due to Israel’s successful coronavirus vaccination program.
Due to the arrival of the omicron variant, the game ran into trouble at the last minute, forcing Israel to close its borders to foreign tourists at the end of last month.
Before the new regulations came into effect, most of the Miss Universe contestants were already in China. But those who came later obtained special permission, despite the mandatory 72-hour quarantine period.
During preparations for the competition, all participants are tested for coronavirus every 48 hours and are required to comply with strict mask requirements.
Among all protective measures, French player Clemence Botino tested positive for COVID-19 shortly after arriving in Israel. After 10 days of isolation, she was declared virus-free and allowed to re-enter the competition.
Last year’s beauty pageant was postponed due to the pandemic, until Meza was crowned in May due to a shortened term.
The game was hosted by American TV personality Steve Harvey. Organizers stated that this event is expected to attract approximately 600 million viewers in 172 countries/regions through the FOX network.
