Miss Universe is India's Harnaaz Sandhu, 70th winner

EILAT – Harnaaz Sandhu of India was crowned the 70th Miss Universe connected Sunday, topping a tract of immoderate 80 contestants successful a pageant that was touched by authorities and the pandemic.

The antecedently reigning Miss Universe, Andrea Meza of Mexico, crowned her successor, a Bollywood actress, successful the Israeli Red Sea edifice municipality of Eilat. The pageant was held successful the mediate of the night, wrapping up astatine 5 a.m. section clip (10 p.m. EST) to accommodate the primetime docket successful the U.S.

Sandhu said she was feeling “overwhelmed due to the fact that it’s been 21 years since India got Miss Universe crown and it’s happening close now.”

The pageant included accepted displays of nationalist costumes, swimwear and a bid of interrogation questions to trial contestants' nationalist speaking skills. The apical 10 showed disconnected intricately bedazzled full-length gowns successful either gold, metallic oregon bronze. The Philippines' Beatrice Luigi Gomez wore an asymmetrical chopped formal with 1 sleeve, highlighting a caller tattoo she said “celebrates her womanhood.”

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But the contention besides drew attraction successful caller weeks for different reasons.

A grassroots Palestinian-led boycott had urged contestants to skip the lawsuit to protestation Israel’s attraction of the Palestinians.

In the end, lone Malaysia, a predominantly Muslim state with adjacent ties to the Palestinians, did not nonstop a representative, citing the planetary COVID-19 situation. The South African government, which besides powerfully supports the Palestinian cause, withdrew enactment for the country’s typical implicit her participation.

In an interrogation past month, Meza urged contestants to leave authorities retired of the pageant, saying the gathering was meant to bring unneurotic women from antithetic backgrounds. “When you are successful determination you hide astir politics, astir your religion,” she told The Associated Press astatine the time.

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Sara Salansky, an authoritative with the Israeli Tourism Ministry, said the state was selected to big the contest earlier this twelvemonth due to the fact that of Israel’s palmy coronavirus vaccination program.

The contention suffered a last-minute hiccup with the accomplishment of the omicron variant, which forced Israel to adjacent its borders to overseas tourists precocious past month.

Most of the Miss Universe contestants were already successful the state earlier the caller regulations came into effect. But those who came afterward were fixed peculiar support to enter, albeit with a mandatory 72-hour quarantine period.

Throughout the run-up to Sunday’s contest, each contestants were tested for the coronavirus each 48 hours and required to obey strict disguise requirements.

Amid each the safeguards, France’s contestant, Clemence Botino, tested affirmative for COVID-19 soon aft arriving successful Israel. After 10 days successful quarantine, she was declared microorganism escaped past week and allowed to rejoin the competition.

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Last year’s pageant was delayed owed to the pandemic earlier Meza was crowned successful May for her abbreviated tenure.

Sunday’s contention was hosted by U.S. TV property Steve Harvey. Organizers said the pageant was expected to scope an estimated 600 cardinal viewers via the FOX web successful 172 countries.

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