Miss India, Harnaaz Sandhu, was crowned Miss Universe 2021 early on Monday in Israel, marking the end of the controversial pageant.
Sandhu was crowned in the Red Sea resort, with Paraguay’s Nadia Ferreira winning first runner-up and South Africa’s Lalela Mswane crowned second runner-up.
The 70th edition of the pageant has been at the center of controversy since the announcement of Israel as the host country.
Several Palestinian rights groups and countries urged contestants to boycott the edition and avoid the event.
The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel wrote: “We urge all participants to withdraw, to avoid complicity in Israel’s apartheid regime and its violation of Palestinian human rights.”
South Africa’s government also called on its contestant to drop out of the pageant, citing Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, describing it as “apartheid.”
Miss Universe saw the participation of 80 contestants, including Miss Morocco and Miss Bahrain, whose countries normalized ties with Israel last year.
This year’s competition also marks the second time the pageant is held during the pandemic, amid fears of a new spike due to the spread of the Omicron variant.
Israel shut its borders merely two weeks prior to the pageant, and one contestant tested positive for the virus upon landing.
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