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The Miss Universe Organization has countered recent claims suggesting that Saudi Arabia is participating in this year’s competition.
According to Miss Universe, the selection procedure has not taken place within the kingdom, emphasizing that it is undergoing a rigorous vetting process.
“While Saudi Arabia has not yet been officially confirmed as a participating country this year, we are currently undergoing a meticulous vetting process to qualify a potential candidate to obtain the franchise and be appointed as the national director for representation,” stated the organization.
Saudi Arabia will not be permitted to participate in our esteemed pageant until this process is finalized and approved by our committee,” they added.
This clarification follows Saudi model Rumy Alqahtani’s social media announcement of her involvement in the annual pageant, where she claimed to be “the first representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Miss Universe pageant.”
Announcing her entrance in a post on Instagram, 27-year-old Alqahtani wrote: “I am honored to participate in the Miss Universe International 2024 competition.
“This is the first participation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Miss Universe competition”.
But these claims appear to have been denied by the competition itself. Despite this, the post remains on her Instagram account.
This year’s Miss Universe event will be hosted in Mexico in September.