Lalela Mswane

 South Africa wins Miss Supranational, Philippines in Top 24

By Earl D.C. Bracamonte

Lalela Miswane was proclaimed the 13th Miss Supranational titleholder at glitzy ceremonies in Nowy Sacz, on the southern region of the Polish countryside. The South African candidate was crowned by outgoing queen Chanique Rabe of Namibia, together with Supranational Organization president Gerhard Parzuthka von Lipinsky and Nowy Sacz mayor, Hon. Ludomir  Handzel.

Her royal court is  comprised of Prawwanich Ruangthong (Thailand), Nguyen Huyn Kim Duyen (Vietnam), Adinda Crisheilla (Indonesia), and Ismelys Velasquez (Venezuela) as runners-up in descending order.

The lucky ladies who also made it to the Top 12 were Czech Republic (winner of the Supra Vote challenge), Peru, Kenya, Colombia, India, Mauritius, and hometown girl, Poland.

The evening started with the girls introducing themselves individually. This was followed by the festive Parade of Nations, where the candidates wore their respective national costumes. Thereafter, the ladies reappeared in identical canary-hued bikinis with sarong wraps for the announcement of the semifinalists.

A tender moment happened when the hosts called all the girls for a moment of prayer for Ukraine. During the Night of Fashion event, each of the contestants brought something from her country to be auctioned for the rehabilitation efforts towards the war-torn country.

This year's selection committee, or panel of experts, was comprised of outgoing Miss Supranational Chanique Rabe, outgoing Mister Supranational Varo Vargas, Miss Supranational 2011 Monica Lewczuk, Miss Supranational 2018 Valeria Vasquez Latorre, Miss Supranational 2019 Antonia Porsild, TV host Marcelina Zawadzka, and Supranational Organization president Gerhard Parzuthka von Lipinsky.

The other delegates who made it to the semi-final round were Ghana (winner of the Supra Influencer challenge), Romania, Brazil, Ecuador, Trinidad and Tobago, Namibia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Bolivia, Hong Kong, Guatemala, and Alison Black of the Philippines.

Lalela was crowned by the new Miss Supranational diadem created by Ricardo Patraca. She received a cash prize of US $35,000, aside from other corporate sponsor packages.

Hosted by Martin Fitch, and anchored by Ivan Padrez, the 3-hour extravaganza was live-streamed to the Philippines through the ktx.ph platform. The coronation night ceremonies will be beamed live to a nationwide audience today, July 16, through a delayed broadcast from CNN Philippines at 12 noon.