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India's Harnaaz Sandhu crowned Miss Universe 2021

December 13, 2021

Harnaaz Sandhu was crowned as the first winner from India in more than two decades. The ceremony was overshadowed by omicron variant concerns and calls for a boycott based on Israeli settlement policies.

https://p.dw.com/p/44AyB
Harnaaz Sandhu, Miss Universe 2021
The 21-year-old from India's northern city of Chandigarh won the 70th Miss Universe pageantImage: MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/Getty Images

Indian contestant Harnaaz Sandhu won the 70th edition of the Miss Universe beauty pageant held at the Israeli resort town of Eilat early on Monday. After being postponed over the COVID-19 pandemic, the show was hit by repeated calls for a boycott over the Palestinian crisis.

Sandhu, 21, was crowned by Mexico's Andrea Meza, who won the 2020 title. India last won the title in 2000 when Bollywood actress Lara Datta was crowned Miss Universe.

Sandhu said she was feeling "overwhelmed because it's been 21 years since India got the Miss Universe crown and it's happening right now."

The pageant saw contestants wearing national costumes, gowns and swimwear, and included a series of interview questions that tested their public speaking skills.

Paraguay's Nadia Ferreira was the first runner-up.

The unusual timing, with a winner crowned around 3 a.m. local time (0100 GMT/UTC), enabled proceedings to be aired on late-night television in the US. 

COVID protocol in place

The pageant faced an additional challenge in the form of the omicron variant, which has gained notoriety in the weeks before the event. While most Miss Universe contestants were already in the country before new travel regulations came into effect, some were given special permission to enter Israel after a 72-hour quarantine period. 

All contestants were required to get tested every 48 hours. 

France's contestant, Clemence Botino, tested positive for coronavirus after arriving in Israel, but was declared virus-free after 10 days in quarantine.

Politics and the pageant

In the run-up to this year's "Miss Universe" beauty pageant, several controversies cast a shadow on participating contestants. The show was hit by repeated calls for a boycott over Israeli settlement policy. 

While a total of 80 women started out in the race, South Africa withdrew support for its own candidate, 24-year-old Lalela Mswane, who participated despite calls to boycott the event.

On the other hand, the 2021 event did see the arrival of 25-year-old Manar Nadeem Deyani from Bahrain, which normalized relations with Israel last year, and Morocco's Kawtar Benhalima, the first woman to represent the country since 1978 after it normalized ties with Israel in 2020.

The 2020 competition was postponed as a result of the pandemic.

see/msh (AP, Reuters)