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The grand final of the Miss Universe competition will be held on November 16 in Mexico City, Mexico: 128 candidates will fight for the crown, including Indira Ampiot, Miss France 2023. But already, some candidates have paid the price for the new rules of the competition…
The competition has existed for more than 70 years, and rare editions have been this tumultuous. After Miss France, comes the next step: the 73rd edition of Miss Universe, organized in Mexico, promised its share of suspense and emotion. The grand finale of the event is scheduled for next Saturday, November 16, but already, the competition – in which Miss France 2023 Indira Ampiot is participating – is the subject of numerous hiccups. The fault… of the particularly strict new rules which were put in place in the year 2024.
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Italy Mora, Miss Panama, has already paid the price. As explained by our colleagues from TF1 Infothe model – aged 19 – entered the competition, just four days after the launch of the 73rd edition. This is in any case what the Miss Universe organization indicates which, in a press release, affirms that this decision comes from a “disciplinary committee responsible for maintaining the integrity and values of the competition”… without ever indicating the reasons for this sanction, rare to say the least in the competition. Still according to the document, the Miss Universe organization wants to maintain a certain “confidentiality”. The head of the “Miss Universe Panama” delegation, César Anel Rodriguez, for his part, evokes “an error” on the part of the young candidate… again without detailing what it is.
A “severe” sanction?
On the web, hypotheses are rife. Some Internet users imagine an argument between the Panamanian and the contender who shared her room, Celinee Santos, Miss Dominican Republic. The Panamanian quickly returned to the matter, on the social network Instagram. Italy Mora claims to have learned of the sanction while she was preparing for a gala: “I was told that this measure was taken due to non-compliance with the obligation to leave the room, which I believe admit, happened to put on my makeup and collect personal items Unfortunately, I trusted and followed the instructions, without considering the consequences”, explains the model, considering this decision to be “harsh”. Miss Panama should therefore soon be replaced by another candidate.
But Italy Mora is not the only one to bear the costs of this new regulation. Irina Zakharova, Miss Armenia, also had to give up making the trip, just a few days before the start of the competition. The cause? The model did not have an Armenian passport. “The internal investigation confirmed that the current title holder was not born in Armenia, had not resided there for most of her life and did not hold dual nationality, said commented on the organization of the beauty contest. She therefore cannot participate in the final of the next Miss Universe contest in Mexico. She was therefore replaced by Emma Avanesyan, a 32-year-old Armenian artist. In total, 128 candidates will compete for the crown.
