SLOVAK Republic has joined the roster of countries that have cut ties with the Miss Universe pageant as it introduced new policies and changes, especially the bidding wars for its franchise.

According to Silvia Lakatošová, Slovak Republic’s national director for the pageant and a former Miss Universe 1994 finalist herself, she decided to discontinue sending delegates for the 2023 edition of the pageant after 24 years. She would instead participate in the Miss Earth competition.

“After 24 years of cooperation with the Miss Universe Organization, I have decided not to continue and delegate a contestant to the world finals of Miss Universe 2023,” she said in an interview with a Slovak Republic-based media organization.

She said that she had been thinking of dropping the franchise since five years ago, and she finally decided to do it after the staging of the Miss Universe pageant in New Orleans last January.

Road to Miss Earth

It doesn’t mean that I want to completely quit Miss and the beauty business, I just want to choose other foreign partners for cooperation within Miss. From the so-called big four – Big Four International Beauty Pageants, we will cooperate with Miss Earth, whose main environmental idea and saving the planet appeals to me more and is close to me,”

Silvia Lakatošová

Miss Earth is a Philippine-based annual competition that seeks to promote environmental awareness and conservation through pageantry.

More countries leaving the universe

This is not the first time that a long-time participant in the Miss Universe pageant has stopped organizing a national pageant for the competition.

Other countries, including Indonesia, Argentina, Cambodia, and Vietnam, Seychelles, Mauritius, Ghana, Belize, have severed their ties with the Miss Universe pageant nearly two months after the staging of the first competition under its new owner, Anne Jakrajutatip.

The Cayman Islands recently announced that it would also stop sending candidates for the pageant, saying it was heavily focused on driving the return of tourism back to its pre-pandemic levels.

What’s their concern?

The Miss Universe Organization implemented a regulation that requires organizations that want to hold local Miss Universe competitions and send representatives to the international pageant to submit an annual bid. 

In the application, you will be asked for your highest bid for the opportunity to hold the Miss Universe license. Please be advised that proposed license fees deemed not aligned with the market value in your region will be rejected,”

Miss Universe Organization

Many of the countries that left their posts as national directors of Miss Universe cited issues with the franchise bid along with the new business model of Jakrajutatip.

The Miss Universe Organization said the new revenue streams for the competition would come from licensing items, the selling of goods or services, and Miss Universe Organization copyright on consumer products and services, such as natural mineral water and bags. 

The organization said the new strategy would result in a 35 to 40 percent rise in revenue for the company.

MUPH franchise

Meanwhile, the Philippines will continue to participate as the Miss Universe Philippines announced that the Miss Universe organization had granted the renewal of its franchise under Empire Philippines Holdings Inc.

Shamcey Supsup-Lee, Miss Universe 2013 third runner-up, will remain as the national director of the pageant.

The Miss Universe Philippines 2023 finals night will be held on May 13 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.