Claims that Saudi Arabia might send a delegate to this year’s Miss Universe contest have been denied by the Miss Universe Organisation in a statement.
We would want to make it clear that there has never been a screening procedure in Saudi Arabia, and any claims to the contrary are untrue,” the group said on Monday.
Saudi model Rumy Alqahtani made the declaration after claiming on social media that she would be representing the country in the prestigious competition. Since Alqahtani would have been the first Saudi woman to compete for the title, her post, which included pictures of her carrying the Saudi flag and sporting a Miss Universe sash, drew a lot of attention right away.
Miss Universe underlined how carefully participants are chosen to represent their nations.
“The selection of participants from each country follows strict criteria and regulations to ensure fairness and transparency,” it said.
It also made it clear that Saudi Arabia is not currently one of the more than 100 nations scheduled to compete in the pageant in Mexico this year.
However, the company revealed that it is currently engaged in a rigorous assessment procedure to find a suitable applicant who would be given the franchise and designated as the national director.
“Saudi Arabia will not have the opportunity to participate in our esteemed pageant until this process is finalised and approved by our committee,” the statement said.
