| The event has finished. Contestants will depart from China on Sunday. Congratulations to all! |
Miss Czech
Following her trip to Russia, Maria was sent off to Prague. Looking smashing in a red skirt, she met with the media and gave interviews, but more importantly, she played the role of a presenter at the prestigious Miss Czech beauty pageant. Of course, she had the chance to meet with Jana Dolezelova, Czech Republic's representative to Miss World 2004 and one of the pageant's finalists.
Tourism Campaign
Having been appointed a tourism ambassador of Peru, Miss World 2004 - Maria Julia Mantilla went on videoshootings in different locations for an international campaign, intended to draw more visitors to Peru. Among the shoots was Macchu Picchu, where Maria dressed in Native costumery.
United States Tour
In one of her first major tours post coronation, Maria set out on a trip throughout the United States. She first arrived from London into Chicago, where she took time our to see the Windy city, but it was quick trip down to Altoona, Iowa. There, she took part in the Variety Club's annual telethon: The 23-hour event raised more than $3.5 million for children's charities. She also attended a benefit dinner entitled 'Stars Dinner' the day after. After that, she was taken to Houston, Texas, where she was the Chief Guest of a Unicef benefit for Tsunami victims. $275,000 was raised by the event, which included performances by noted artist India.Arie. The event itself was entitled "Designs of Hope", which included a fashion show of designers such as Roberto Cavalli, Dolce & Gabbana, Emanuel Ungaro, Vera Wang and others. Miss World entered the stage with children dressed in different world costumes. At the end of her trip, Maria stopped over in Latin hotspot Miami, Florida. There, she had the chance to be interviewed and photographed by media outlets such as El Vocero of Puerto Rico, Escenario and Univision. She discussed the importance of her role in charity work through the year, as well as her upcoming plans. She is still scheduled to tour Latin America and Europe, and will be in Puerto Rico in July for the crowning of the new Miss Mundo de Puerto Rico.
January 20th, 2005
After a short return to Peru for a couple of photoshoots, Maria Julia was off on a flight to Beijing, China. There, she was photographed at the Great Wall with the Chinese press, and tommorrow, she will appear in an important press conference. in Maria Julia Mantilla is in Beijing, China for an important press conference and events in a campaign against AIDS/HIV.
January 4th, 2005
Miss World returned to London on January 2nd to sign more contracts with the organization, including one to begin a fashion promotion. She will return to Peru in 2 or 3 weeks to sign contracts with the Peruvian Tourism Ministry as a Goodwill Ambassador, so part of her duties will be to promote Peru outside, which is similar to what former Miss World's Agbani Darego and Azra Akin had done. With help from Reinas Del Peru, the Miss World Organization will be coordinating Maria's appearances across Latin America, where many countries have expressed interest in hosting her.
Peru Celebrates Homecoming of Miss World 2004
 With President of Peru, Alejandro Toledo |  Press Conference on Friday |  More Festivities in Trujillo |
 The limousine awaits her |  Arrival at the airport |  Speaking from the balcony |
Friday morning - The much-awaited press conference where Maria will talk about her win and what she planned for the future. The press is very curious to know about her boyfriend, as well. Later, she will attend a special banquet with the Mayor of Lima and visit the Peruvian Congress, and she will be given a special ambassador title. On Saturday, arrangements have been made for a morning meeting with the President of Peru, Alejandro Toledo, along with representatives of Miss World and Reinas Del Peru. She will then leave for her native Trujillo. Special festivities have been set up with dance, music from her arrival at the airport on to her journey to a couple of major local sites. The Miss World Organization will allow her to then take a brief vacation with her friends and family for Christmas and the New Year, after which she will be immediately sent off to worldwide obligations in Kenya, India and Egypt, according to local authorities. In the meantime, you can read more about her in Caretas Magazine. http://www.americatv.com.pe/noticias/view.asp?id_video=3754
Last Update: December 6th, 2004 - Farewell, China!
 Ecuador waits in the hotel lobby...disappointed or tired? |  Portugal sheds a tear before departing |  Exhausted delegates from Turkey and Egypt on their way out |
Maria Julia Mantilla held on of her first formal interviews on Monday, with Miss United States as her translator, the only other delegate who has not left yet. She discussed how her platform will be focused on AIDS Awareness work, and she was able to give the reporter statistics on her research thus far. She will be going to Beijing in January for a large AIDS Conference.
First Runner-Up was a slight, but not major surprise. Although I find her to be a bit too pageanty, Dominican Republic's Claudia Cruz is beautiful in a conventional way.
 USA |  Dominican Republic |  Poland |
 Vietnam |  Mexico |  Russia |
 China |  Czech Republic |  Nigeria |
 Asian contestants at the ball |  Canada, Serbia and some others on the floor |  Paraguay and Bolivia dance the night away |
SPECIAL AWARDS:
MISS WORLD SCHOLARSHIP: JAMAICA, Tonoya Toyloy
MISS WORLD DRESS DESIGN: BELGIUM, Ellen Petri
Miss World 2004: Australia, Sarah Davies
First Runner-Up: USA, Nancy Randall
Second Runner-Up: China, Jiang Yang
Third Runner-Up: Trinidad & Tobago, Kenisha Thom
Fourth Runner-Up: Belgium, Ellen Petri
Remaining Top Fifteen:
1) Wales (Amy Guy)
2) Antigua (Shermain Juany)
3) Angola (Silvia Anair)
4) Russia
5) India (Sayali Bhagat)
6) Thailand
7) Mexico (Yessica Ramirez)
8) Peru (Maju Mantilla)
9) Spain (Maite Medina)
10) Dominican Republic (Claudia Cruz)
Alternate Picks: Ecuador, Poland, Holland, Brazil, Czech Republic
Not to be overlooked: Albania, Slovakia, Paraguay
 Dress rehearsal |  Dress rehearsal |
Last Update: December 2nd, 2004
 Contestants from Tanzania, Puerto Rico and the Philippines at the AIDS Conference |  Miss Philippines gives her viewpoint on AIDS/HIV |
 Miss Albania is 'mock' Miss World |  Practicing some moves for the final event |
Last Update: December 1st, 2004
Last Update: 11/30
 A look at the pre-finished stage for the Miss World finals. |  An outside view of the Miss World Crown of Beauty |
 Germany and her mother get a small celebration on her birthday |  Contestants from Argentina, Peru, Greece, Cyprus pose before attending a special seminar. |
Last Update: 11/29
Last Update: 11/28
The "You Decide" show started with the mock Beach Party scene. Only Troy McClain anchored this event, taking some time to chat with the girls in-between. There were also two segments showing the delegates' activities to date. For now, I only give an overview of actual personal opinions. A condensed, final review will come in the next couple of days, which takes this into consideration with the actual competitive edge of the girls.
Group 1 has contenders that will be mostly scrambling for the European/Latin spots. Beauty-wise, my pick is Belgium. Even with a petite frame, she is beautiful. Ecuador is incredibly sexy, while France and Netherlands both exude a ton of sophistication. Group 2 is led by the consistently stunning Russia. Her television presence outstrips her photo beauty. The real sex bomb of this group is Northern Ireland, who SHOULD be Britain's best bet in this competition. Bulgaria and Moldova also lead with their combination of offbeat styles (intense curls, sharp contrast colors) and good looks.
Group 3 has a clear-cut contender: Thailand. While her actual outcome leaves doubts in my mind, she is a clean-cut beauty, polished in all areas and should be contending for the crown. Also to look out in this group are two truly beach babes: Italy and Sweden. Group 4 is a rather weak group, but my opinion of pageant favorite Trinidad & Tobago has certainly risen. She has incredible presence and self-confidence. Falling behind her in this group are Panama and Ethiopia, both who possess the right charm and polish (+ beauty), but might not have a competitive edge.
Group 7 is dominated by Brazil. She is tall, sexy and has presence, but maybe needs to be more charismatic, although charisma is something that takes Angola to the next level. Her looks are haunting. The same goes for Paraguay, who relies on sexy moves and a modern edge in her look to edge out the competition. Finally, in Group 8 we have a goddess in the form of Spain, mostly because of a flawless porcelain face. She even edges out an earlier personal favorite, Peru, who loses her edge here but still manages to look good. Chinese Taipei is extremely cute and gets attention.
 |  |  |
 |
Last Update: 11/27
 Greece smiles for the cameras |  Uganda strikes a smile before being taped |  Paraguay geared up for the global vote |
Last Update: 11/25
- Despite previous announcements, the Scholarship award was not presented during the live segment of You Decide, broadcast for the first time today around the world. It is unknown when this award will be presented, if at all. In other news, the Contestants' Choice, also known as 'Miss Personality', will once again fast-track to the semi-finals in her place. This will be known later on. In addition, there was no onstage segment and Hanson was not there to perform, although these items were never confirmed by the Miss World Organization, regardless.
- The number of contestants is back down to 107, with the withdrawal of Miss Austria, Sylvia Hackl, from the pageant for unknown reasons. Last year, the local delegate forwent the pageant for fear of competition, and the year before, as part of the pageant boycott.
- The last couple of days have focused on taping the ever-important "You Decide" program which begins airing tommorrow night around the world. As part of this program, host Troy McClain and the Sheraton staff joined the delegates in showing off live footage in a taped 'beach party', with the delegates sipping drinks, dancing, playing beach volleyball, etc. Troy will also be shown interviewing some of the delegates during the party. This is part of the effort to increase the amount of exposure for delegates in the pageant.
- A closer review of the You Decide program and the delegates will be posted this weekend.
 Top Model: MEXICO |  2nd: ANGOLA |  3rd BELGIUM |
Last Update: 11/24
- Miss World's Top Model was chosen at the Universal Theatre in Sanya on Tuesday night. Bringing her country back into the Miss World semi-finals after 7 years was Mexico's Yessica Ramirez, a 6'1" model from Baja California. First Runner-Up was Silvia Anair (Angola) and Second Runner-Up was Ellen Petri (Belgium). They were followed by Russia and Spain (4th and 5th, respectively). The remaining 15 finalists for Miss World Top Model were : Aruba, Botswana, Bulgaria, People’s Republic of China, Chinese Taipei, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Georgia, Greece, India, Poland, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago and USA.
- This year's Miss World Charity Auction will be done in a totally different style than in the past. The gifts from around the world were introduced in a special Press Conference Monday afternoon. Now, these items will be put up on Ebay for not only the locals who will attend the actual gala on the 29th, but for people around the world, making this a truly connected pageant. Some of the gifts include a hand-woven Brazillian map by Brazil and a special set of Cigar's by Jamaica.
- It isn't only the gifts which will be auctioned on Ebay. The Miss World Organization is running a charitable auction for a special, once-in-a-lifetime gift package: A trip to Miss World. British Airways will be providing first-class flights from London and back, with a shopping stopover in Hong Kong on the way. The winners will get a champagne reception, luxury accomodations and all types of VIP treatment, including VIP tickets and backstage passes for the grand finale and coronation ball. They will also get to brunch with Rosanna Davison and have dinner with the new Miss World. The Miss World Auction.
 El Salvador |  The delegates are greeted in Wanning |  Venezuela and Mexico in tree-planting |
Last Update: 11/23
- Only 15? Speculation now exists, based on various reports, that there will only be ten semi-finalists, along with the five additional fast-track winners.
- The delegates took a side trip to Wanning, a tropical city on Hainan's East Coast, and were welcomes by thousands of local fans. After their arrival, the delegates proceeded to a nature visit and small environmental event, where they each planted a tree in what will be known as 'Miss World Forest'. In the evening, a special banquet was held to celebrate the lighting of the lanterns, all together with great food and fireworks. After the day of fun, the delegates will spend Tuesday rehearsing for the Miss World Fashion Show the following day.
- 'You Decide' will be televised for the 4th year in a record number of countries, starting this Friday and running up to whenever the local stations make their decisions. The special will feature grown-up boy band Hanson, and will be hosted only by Troy McClain. The contestants have been split up into groups, who will be shown introducing themselves while showing off the swimwear, aside from other activities the delegates have participated in. The big exception for this year is a special live portion of the show, where the audience will get to make their selections based on onstage presence, as well. At the end, the final fast-track winner, Miss World Scholarship (now in its 4th year) will be announced to the world audience. the television broadcast will be 2 hours in full, as it was last year.
 | Oh, What a Voice! Singing her rendition of Barbara Streisand's "Papa Can You Hear Me", Miss Antigua - Shermain Jeremy was named Miss World Talent 2004 and brought the small Caribbean island to its first Miss World Placement - ever. Congratulations! The Runners-Up in the Talent Competition were Miss China, PRO - Jin Yang, who showed off a dramatic Tai Chi piece, and Miss Barbados, Kennifer Marius, who performed a dramatic dance in front of spectators at the Universal Hotel on Friday evening. - The remaining semi-finalists who performed that night (out of 85) were: Aruba, Australia, Bahamas, Botswana, Brazil, Ch. Taipei, Czech Rep., Ecuador, Estonia, Fiji, Italy, Korea, Philippines, Russia, Spain, Thailand and Trinidad. The panel of judges included: Miss World President Julia Morley, Variety Clubs Representative Krish Naidoo, General Manager of the Sanya Theatre Wu Jiaming, musician Michael Dickson, and an executive from a Chinese television station. |  FIRST RUNNER-UP: China, P.R.  SECOND RUNNER-UP: Barbados |
 MISS SPORT WINNER: Wales (Amy Guy) |  FIRST RUNNER-UP: Australia (Sarah Davies) |  SECOND RUNNER-UP: Trinidad & Tobago (Kenisha Thom) |  SECOND RUNNER-UP: Maria Julia Mantilla (Peru) |
Amy Guy automatically fast-tracks to the top 20, the first Miss Wales to ever place in Miss World. Ms. Guy is not only an accomplished Equestrian, but has been on netball and cross-country teams, as well. Welsh newspapers already began praising her victory in the days following, and now, Miss World will be returning to British terrestrial television after a 2-year gap.
Last Update: 11/16
Miss World has announced its largest television audience ever. In order to conduct the two-hour international broadcast, the organization has roped in the following:
Troy McClain, known for appearing on Donald Trump's hit show "The Apprentice", will be the male host for this year's pageant. Although he is making waves as a professional corporate speaker, his experience as an event host is evident.
For a second year, Angela Chow of Phoenix TV will play the role of female host. She enthused the audience with her strong experience in English and Chinese, as well as her naturally charismatic hosting style. It is unknown if a third host will be there this year.
Musica! The highlight performer for this year will be the internationally reknowned star Lionel Richie. He started his car in 1979 by making a smash with "Three Times a Lady". Throughout the eighties, he continued with hits such as "Endless Love" and "We Are the World". In the late 90's and recently, he has started to don a more modern image and has come up with hits such as "Angel" and "Don't Stop the Music".
Joining him will be the less-reknowned group Il Divo. The group was created last year by American Idol/British Idol visionary Simon Cowell. They try to bring classical and pop music together, singing in Spanish, English and Italian. With a 2004 debut, they are now #1 in the United Kingdom with Album sales, and they hope to make gains in other countries after this performance.
Tickets this year range from $60 to $2,000 U.S., along with special VIP tickets. Overall, promotion of the pageant is much lower compared to the previous year. The MWO claims that judges will be brought in to comment, but this has to be confirmed. Viewers should also expect local performances as part of the spectacle.
 Czech Republic/Australia check out some idols inside the temple. |  Prayer Time |  Contestants from Africa |
Last Update: 11/16
- On Tuesday, the contestants visited the Mt. Na Buddhist Cultural Center. There, they took some time to pray (probably for the crown) and watch some performances afterward.
- Why has Rosanna been distinctly absent from Miss World Activities? She has been hitting cities like Hong Kong, Beijing and Guangzhou in an effort to drum up publicity for the pageant. She has also been joined by last year's Miss China, Guan Qi.
- $$$$$: Since Miss World 2001, neither than pageant nor Miss Universe have found a place on the South African small screen due to lack of viewer interest. However, Mnet has agreed with show a one-hour version of the pageant the same day.
- The pageant this year has not found trouble in most areas of the world, but the new reality format is trying to battle the decreasing viewer interest in pageantry throughout European countries, something many European pageants had turned to, as well. The organization also hopes to find its way back onto television in Canada, USA and Australia this year.
- Taking a tour? Rumors have started floating that Dallas, Texas (USA) is showing strong interest in hosting next year's pageant.
 BEACH BEAUTY WINNER: United States | FIRST RUNNER-UP: Australia | SECOND RUNNER-UP: Trinidad & Tobago |
 Misses Thailand and Korea share a moment |  Miss South Africa gets ready to be interviewed |  Miss Dominican Republic poses for cameraman |
Last Update: 11/13
- The focus this year was much more on getting a detailed tour of Hainan Island's sites
- The first trip was to Deerpark which is not actually a Deer park, but a traditional Hainan village set-up for cultural tourism. There they met with locals, who were very excited to greet the visitors. Of course, shopping for traditional handicrafts was a must!
- The girls then proceeded for a tour of Butterfly valley, which is in fact known for its butterflies. The valley also had some beautiful natural sites for the girls to enjoy.
- On Thursday, it was off to the Seashell Exhibition centre. One can be fascinated here by the variety of different oceanic objects up for display. However, the girls were more keen to get to the gift shop and then take some time to relax in front of the Yalong Bay, nearby. This time, as tourists approached for photos, Miss Brazil (Iara Coelho) handed out colorful campaign cards, asking people to give her their vote.
- This year's swimsuits are once again a colorful collection by ex-Miss World, Wilnelia Forsythe. The girls got a chance to get accustomed to them, and then the photography and videography stint began. The 'You Decide' program will be airing in a couple of weeks from now.
- Today, Saturday, the delegates will be mingling with approximately 300 visitors, during the 'Swimsuit Bash'. The details are not quite clear on what will really go on here. Tommorrow, the first semi-finalist will be chosen during "Beach Beauty".
Miss USA, Nancy Randall, and Miss Denmark, Line Larson, join the other Miss World contestants in a Street Parade in Sanya on November 9th.
Last Update: 11/11
This year's pageant kicked off with a colorful street parade in Sanya. The delegates were driven on the route in special vehicles as thousands of locals came to see their favorite contestants. Virtually all of the contestants are in Sanya right now, getting ready for the first leg of the competition. The mayor of Sanya and Miss World President Julia Morley were among those who gave speeches.
- Miss Egypt, Heba Ahmed caught a flight on Tuesday and has joined the other contestants, despite her mother's illness.
- Miss India, Sayali Bhagat has been given the highest odds by a number of online betting-houses at the start of the pageant. Can she keep that lead, and do high odds really translate into Miss World success? Such was the case last year!
- Miss Aruba, Luisiana Cecilia, celebrated her birthday upon arrival
- Vietnam has finally opted out altogether, with the pageant stating that their contestant does not have sufficient time to prepare for the pageant.
- Belize will be holding its next pageant in mid-December, with the winner going to Miss Universe and Miss World. they could not send a delegate this year due to the delay of the said pageant.
Last Update: 11/08
Miss Canada, Tijana Artanauvic was the first contestant to arrive on November 6th. She was followed by contestants from Ecuador, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Poland, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan and Peru. This year, the plans to arrive in Hong Kong were cancelled, and the girls flew directly into Sanya. More delegates are expected before tommorrow night's big welcome ceremony. In addition, the delegates
Many delegates have been focused on last-minute preparations as they get ready to leave their home countries. For example, Miss Bulgaria - Gergana Guncheva will leave with 7 designers gowns and souvenir gifts for each of the contestants. The 17 year-old is excited about the pageant and has dyed her hair black for a more chic look. In less pleasant news, Katarzyna Borowicz, Miss Poland will be heading to the pageant only a couple of weeks after her father passed away. This will indeed be a very difficult pageant for her.
In a bold new move, the Miss World Organization has decided to do away with the traditional set of judges in its pageant. The judges will only offer commentary, but the viewers will cast their vote via phone, text messaging, interactive TV or online, starting with the Miss World You Decide Program one week in advance. The intention is to make Miss World more of a reality-style show and bring in more audience interest in pageants. Audience participation in choosing pageant winners around the world has made a dramatic entrance in the last few years. In 2001, Miss World first introduced public voting as a percentage of the final results. This continued throughout 2002 and 2003. The big question is, "Does this change anything?" One can only wonder...In a clarification statement released at www.missworld.tv, the organization says the following: Ten points will be allocated to every country, depending on who receives the top ten votes in that country, total.
Fast-Track Winners.
1)MEXICO: Her strong points are her height, modelling capabilities, presence and modern look. Miss World usually has a more sweet demeanor, but she could break into the final five and court. Winning is not totally out of the question.
2)WALES: The best this nation has sent to date, but a safe bet to not go any further.
3) USA: Her major factor is based in strong stage presence and excellent communication skills and confidence. Miss World wants to market more in the America's this time, so the possibility of her clinching the title are VERY STRONG.
4) ANTIGUA: She is certainly very pretty and has an amazing voice, but her chances to making it past the top 15 are limited.
5) AUSTRALIA: Sarah has it all. Facial beauty borders on that of Rosanna Davison. Add to that excellent communication skills, and a type of personality - classy, sophisticated, sweet - that Miss World loves. Chances for her win are VERY STRONG.
Home-Court Advantage
CHINA: At this point in time, it seems highly unlikely that Jian Yang will bring China its first Miss World title. The big question here is, where does she stand? Court, top 5 finalist or just in the top 15? Her host country status obviously means something!
An Org. Favorite? - There is an additional girl who almost feels like a fast-track winner because of all of the events she has placed in - TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: When she speaks, you can sense the confidence. Her face is striking and she knows how to work the ramp very well. She seems like a sure Top 15 bet, and has a chance to make it into the top five.
AFRICA
Chances are, and I am pretty sure of this, that Africa will only be graced with one semi-finalist. However, surprises can happen. My pick this year is clear: ANGOLA (Silvia Anair). A delegate who I earlier wrote off came on strong in the pre-pageant activities. She has striking looks, is constantly fashionable, and has a great, outgoing personality and presence. I even believe she has chances to make the top five with luck, but probably no further. Next in line is ETHIOPIA, who is very pretty but lacks charisma and presence that make Angola more dominating. Others to look out for: EGYPT, who has not met up to expectations, and BOTSWANA, who is a solid competitor overall, but doesn't 'stick out'.
ASIA & OCEANIA
China is surely in, and Australia represents Oceania, but will Asia/Oceania produce more finalists? My instinct is that at least one more will grace the finalists. Leading the possibilities is the absolutely beautiful THAILAND. However, what she has in facial beauty, she lacks in stage presence and charisma. Here is one girl I can see easily clinching the Miss World crown, and just as easily slipping out of the finalists group. It is hard to argue the merits of INDIA, who ranks right behind. She also has a tremendous amount of facial beauty, plus charisma and stage presence. She is obviously not India's next Miss World, but has great chances of advancing into the 15-5-3. Other girls to watch out for: CHINESE TAIPEI; The Chinese press/audience has given her a very warm reception and she definitely has the physical qualities to place, but this would be a mostly political move. PHILIPPINES could be another surprise, and VIETNAM as well. She is really cute!
CARIBBEAN
The Caribbean already has Antigua in and Trinidad & Tobago virtually in. Is there room for more? Probably not, but if someone else is there, it will be DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, who is a good overall package but would be a good marketing move. Puerto Rico is an outside possibility, but has not met expectations at all so far, while her two predecessors outperformed.
AMERICA'S
The America's already have both USA and Mexico in and fiercely contending for the crown. But chances are that 2-3 delegates from the region will be joining them in the semi-finals. My eyes are on four delegates for now. PERU has tremendous facial beauty, but needs more energy when taking the stage. Still, she has a sweet demeanor and was my best bet for many months. I still believe that she has a strong chance of taking the title, but she could just as easily be left out. The second one is BRAZIL, who has the height and all the necessary physical attributes to make it, but more of a model demeanor. Her chances of making the cut are excellent, and she has chances to take herself into the next round and by chance
of luck, win. Following her is ECUADOR, a sexy blonde who has come on as a real surprise and has a real chance to make it, but may be a bit too pageant patty for the pageant. In contrast to that is the super-modern and stylishly dressed PARAGUAY. While she does not possess the 'sweet demeanor', her overall packaging stands out and she has a real chance to make it. VENEZUELA and BOLIVIA seem to have lost their impact, but either one could provide a surprise.
EUROPE
Finally, we have the most baffling continent: Europe. So far, we only have Wales guaranteed, but 2-3 more delegates are likely to be added. Frankly speaking, out of all the finalists to be determined, we are left with the most open field here. Topping my list are two delegates: SPAIN and RUSSIA, both who manage to combine height, sex appeal, and modelling capabilities with the sweet demeanor quality. I do not get the feeling this year's Miss World will come from Europe again, but there is always a chance. Besides those two, there is a slew of competitors I feel could make the cut, possessing qualities such as sophistication, style, facial beauty and so forth: NETHERLANDS, BELGIUM, GREECE, FRANCE and from the Eastern side: POLAND, SLOVAKIA, ALBANIA, CZECH REPUBLIC.
Disclaimer: The most important thing in Miss World is, anything can happen and will happen!