In a potential development, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is likely to have its first Miss Universe contestant this year.
Maria Jose Unda, the Miss Universe‘s international relations coordinator, told AFP that they are in the final stages of selecting a candidate to represent the Kingdom globally.
“We’ll have a decision on the National Director for Saudi Arabia very, very soon and possible for Saudi Arabia to have a contestant in place before the next edition of the competition, scheduled for September in Mexico,” she added.
The statement came after Saudi model Rumy Al-Qahtani took to Instagram and announced her participation in the annual pageant.
“Honored to participate in Miss Universe 2024,” Alqahtani wrote in Arabic on Instagram on March 25. “This is the first participation of Saudi Arabia in the Miss Universe competition.”
On Monday, April 1, the Miss Universe Organization called Al-Qahtani’s claims “false and misleading”, adding that no selection process has been conducted in the Kingdom.
Reacting to it, Al-Qahtani said that she is currently in negotiations regarding her participation in the contest.
“I have been contacted by the Miss Universe committee to represent Saudi Arabia. Negotiations started but it was during the month of Ramadan and I could not respond,” she told AFP.
“We are still negotiating, and hopefully it will result in a happy ending” she added.
Unda said that Qahtani will have to undergo the same selection process as other candidates if she wishes to participate in the contest.
