Of withdrawals and non-participation

 More news from the Universe

By Earl D.C. Bracamonte

There will only be 74 remaining official candidates in the Miss Universe 2020 competition, after a delegate, Miss Universe Bangladesh 2020, through her national organization, withdrew from the pageant for health and safety reasons.

Aside from Miss Bangladesh Universe 2020 Tangia Zaman Mehita's withdrawal from this year's competition, many thought that, because of the political unrest in her country, Miss Myanmar Universe 2020 Thuzar Wint Lwin may also signify her non-participation. This may be because observers have noted that the 22-year-old Thuzar is as outspoken as Miss Grand Myanmar Han Lay in pushing for democratic reforms. Pageant fans have not also seen Thuzar's profile in the roster of official candidates for the past few days. Myanmar's recent fiasco displaced some 250,000 Burmese citizens. But if you'll check again, she's back in game. It is hoped that the same supporters who helped in sending Han Lay to Thailand will also help Thuzar to fly to the United States as soon as possible.

Prior to Miss Universe Bangladesh's withdrawal, there were several countries who have backed out from this year's race. These are Angola, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Georgia, Germany, Guam, Kenya, Lithuania, Mongolia, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Saint Lucia, Sierra Leone, Sweden, Tanzania, Turkey, and the US Virgin Islands.

It is interesting to point out that four of the withdrawing countries have won a crown from the  competition: Namibia (Michelle McLean, 1992), Angola (Leila Lopes, 2011), New Zealand (Lorraine Downes, 1983), and Sweden (Hillvi Rombin, 1955; Margareta Arvidsson, 1966; and Yvonne Ryding, 1984).

Because of the many circulating posts about a new Miss Universe crown, Fred Mouawad, CEO, founder, and chairman of the entity crafting the Miss Universe crown, clarified that "the Mouawad Miss Universe power of unity crown will remain the same for 2020 and 2021," referring to the 69th and 70th editions of the pageant.

On April 22, the Miss Universe Organization, through its YouTube channel, posted a video celebrating Earth Day. The 'Happy Earth Day' compilation clip featured several Miss Universe candidates showing how they have reduced their carbon footprint.

The following day, the Miss Universe YouTube channel also released another compilation video entitled "Making an impact during Covid-19," where several candidates shared their personal experiences and how the pandemic affected the circumstances of their loved ones.

More updates will be coming your way as the Miss Universe 2020 coronation night gets closer and closer. Catch the 69th Miss Universe final show live on May 17, starting at 8 a.m. on the A2Z Channel 11 network.

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Image courtesy of Pageant Trend

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