Your trusted source

The Miss Universe Organization on Tuesday issued a statement revealing why Armenia's delegate Irina Zakharova was denied participation in the beauty pageant. The full statement is provided below.

"The Miss Universe Organization maintains a deep commitment to the values of integrity, transparency and equity. As custodians of a pageant that celebrates cultural diversity and women’s empowerment, we are guided by principles that ensure our representatives authentically reflects the culture, the spirit and values of each of their countries.

After a thorough review, we regret to announce that Miss Irina Zakharova, selected as Miss Universe Armenia, did not meet the requirements stipulated in Section 8.02 of the Miss Universe Preliminary Pageant License Agreement. This situation is also a violation of our National Directors’ Operations Manual, which requires the titleholder to possess a valid passport from the country she represents.

Our Director’s Manual highlights, in section 3, that “The winner must have a valid passport issued by the country she represents.” The internal investigation confirmed that the current titleholder was not born in Armenia, has not resided in Armenia for most of her life, and does not hold dual citizenship. She is therefore not eligible to participate in the finals of the upcoming Miss Universe pageant in Mexico.

However, in line with our values of inclusion and justice, the Organization has decided to award the title of Miss Universe Armenia to one of the eligible finalists. This decision reaffirms our commitment to a fair and equitable process that respects the norms and ethical standards of the pageant.

We urge our partners in Armenia to promptly select the new titleholder, recognizing that the final pageant will take place in less than a month. We are confident that these steps will help safeguard the integrity and prestige that characterizes the Miss Universe pageant.

We thank our followers and fans for their understanding and continued support as we work together to uphold the principles that unite us all on this global platform."