Three incumbent titles stripped
Rachel Gupta - who made history by becoming India's first Miss Grand International - was stripped of her title on May 28, just seven months after being crowned in Bangkok, Thailand.
She posted on Instagram that she was voluntarily resigning from the title due to "broken promises, mistreatment and a toxic environment" from the organizers. However, the Miss Grand International organization strongly denied, saying that the title was revoked because she failed to fulfill her duties, participated in unapproved outside projects, refused a business trip to Guatemala, and many other issues.
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Previously, Thae Su Nyein from Myanmar, who was only 17 years old at the time of the contest, was considered an outstanding candidate in the contest. However, she and the Miss Grand Myanmar organization were not satisfied when their names were announced as the second runner-up.
Myanmar country director Htoo Ant Lwin shocked the world when she publicly removed her crown and sash as second runner-up right after the award ceremony. Thae Su Nyein then publicly rejected the result during a Facebook livestream, strongly declaring: "I came to the contest to win the title, not to be second runner-up."
On October 28, 2024, Miss Grand International officially revoked the title due to "violation of regulations and inappropriate behavior".
Safiétou Kabengele, a 26-year-old beauty from France, 1.84m tall with a unique bald head, won the third runner-up title. However, she was stripped of her crown by Mr. Nawat for publicly criticizing Rachel Gupta on social media.
"Unfortunately, Rachel showed disrespect to me in front of the organizers and other girls. I did not pretend to have a relationship with someone who hurt me," Safiétou wrote.
The cause of the conflict stems from Rachel's advice that Safiétou should return to France early to take care of his sick mother, causing Safiétou to feel implied to be too busy making money to neglect his mother.
Series of scandals surrounding Miss Grand International 2024
Miss Grand International 2024 has been in turmoil since the start as it has had to change venues repeatedly. Myanmar was initially announced as the host for 2023, but political instability forced the organizers to cancel the plan in May 2024. Cambodia and Thailand were later chosen as co-hosts, but conflicts with the organizers due to poor conditions forced the organizers to move the entire event to Thailand. Cambodian representative Sotheary Bee also withdrew from the competition.
Miss Grand International 2024 witnessed 5 withdrawals: Sotheary Bee (Cambodia) due to conflicts with the organizing committee, Macarena Chamberlain (Costa Rica) and Kaylie Cheung (Hong Kong - China) due to health reasons, Kateryna Bilyk (Ukraine) withdrew before the final and Madeleine Malmberg (Norway) was absent from the final night.
In November 2024, Miss Grand India announced that it was terminating its relationship with the parent organization, just one month after Rachel Gupta’s victory. According to Miss Grand International, the contract was not renewed due to late payment of licensing fees and breach of terms.
Recently, the fan community has also been concerned about the fate of Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien's Miss Grand International 2021 crown after the news that she was prosecuted. However, the Miss Grand International organization has not made an official announcement about this.
The recent incidents have greatly damaged the image of the Miss Grand International contest. The stripping of 3 out of the 5 highest titles of Miss Grand International 2024 while in office is considered "unprecedented" in the history of international beauty pageants.
Miss Grand International 2024 coronation moment:
Minh Dung
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/3-scandal-chan-dong-tai-cuoc-thi-thuy-tien-dang-quang-hoa-hau-2406406.html
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