Miss Universe 2003 was the 52nd Miss Universe pageant, held at the Figali Convention Center in Panama City, Panama, on 3 June 2003.
The winner, Amelia Vega of the Dominican Republic was crowned by Justine Pasek of Panama as Miss Universe 2003. It was the country's first victory in the pageant's history.
Contestants from seventy-one countries and territories competed in this year's pageant. The competition was hosted by Billy Bush and Daisy Fuentes. Musical quartet Bond and Puerto Rican singer-composer Chayanne performed in this year's pageant. This was also the first edition of Miss Universe to be aired on NBC.
Background
Location and date At the end of the Miss Universe 2002 pageant, hosts Phil Simms and Daisy Fuentes announced that the next years pageant would be held in Panama City, Panama. It is the second time that Panama hosted the pageant; the first being Miss Universe 1986.
Due to the ongoing SARS outbreak at the time, Juan Carlos Navarro, the mayor of Panama City, required the candidates to show medical certification that they were virus free.
Selection of participants Contestants from seventy-one countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant. Five delegates were appointees to their position to replace the original dethroned winner.
Replacements The winner of Miss Czech Republic 2002, Kateřina Průšová was replaced by Kateřina Smržová due to her poor English skills. Miss Egypt 2003, Horreya Farghally gave up her title following rumors of her secret marriage by the press. Farghally was replaced by Nour El-Semary. The winner of Eesti Miss Estonia 2003, Maili Nomm was replaced by Katrin Susi as she was underage. The winner of Miss Poland 2002, Marta Matyjasik decided not to participate at the pageant for academic reasons. Matyjasik was replaced by Iwona Makuch.
Miss Russia 2002, Svetlana Koroleva won Miss Europe 2002 in Lebanon, making her ineligible to participate in the competition. The Miss Russia organization then held a pageant called Miss Russia Universe 2003 which was won by Julia Kova. Kova was also unable to compete due to her being underage. The Miss Russia organization then chose Maria Smirnova, a 22-year-old model from Nizhny Novgorod, as their candidate, but she was rejected for her nude pictures in Playboy Russia. Finally the Miss Universe organization announced that it would accept Oksana Bondarenko, runner-up of Miss Russia 2002.
Returns, and withdrawals The 2003 edition saw the returns of Argentina, Barbados, Belize, New Zealand, and Chinese Taipei. Barbados last competed in Miss Universe 1999, Belize in Miss Universe 2000, while the others last competed in Miss Universe 2001. The British Virgin Islands, Chile, Ghana, Honduras, Kenya, the Northern Mariana Islands, Portugal, the United States Virgin Islands, and Uruguay withdrew. Bethsaida Smith of the British Virgin Islands and Kimberly Castro of the Northern Mariana Islands withdrew due to lack of sponsorship. Chile, Ghana, Honduras, Kenya, Portugal, the United States Virgin Islands, and Uruguay withdrew after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or appoint a delegate.
Miss Iceland 2002, Manuela Ósk Harðardóttir withdrew, when dehydration caused by the weather prevented her from competing in the preliminary competition. Donna Tuara of the Cook Islands and Joyce Ramarofahatra of Madagascar did not compete due to lack of sponsorship. Tiziana Mifsud of Malta did not compete after the Miss Malta pageant lost its Miss Universe franchise. Mounia Achlaf of Algeria and Melanie Putria Dewita Sari of Indonesia withdrew for undisclosed reasons.
Participation of Venezuela at Miss Universe On 9 May 2003, the Miss Venezuela Organization announced that Mariángel Ruiz, Miss Venezuela 2002, would not be competing for the first time since Miss Universe 1959. This was due to the strict foreign exchange controls imposed by then-Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez to prevent capital flight. According to Osmel Sousa, president of the Miss Venezuela Organization, US$80,000 was needed for the franchise fee to send Ruiz to the pageant. Venezuelan businessman Gustavo Cisneros, was able to fund Ruiz to Panama. This is after Mireya Moscoso, then-President of Panama, urged Cisneros to ensure that a Venezuelan candidate will compete at Miss Universe.
Results
Placements Placement Contestant Miss Universe 2003 – Amelia Vega 1st Runner-Up – Mariángel Ruiz 2nd Runner-Up – Cindy Nell 3rd Runner-Up – Sanja Papić 4th Runner-Up – Miyako Miyazaki Top 10 – Gislaine Ferreira – Leanne Cecile – Kateřina Smržová – Ndapewa Alfons – Faye Alibocus Top 15 – Ana Sebastião – Marietta Chrousala – Stefanie de Roux – Claudia Ortiz de Zevallos – Susie Castillo
Special awards AwardContestantMiss Photogenic Puerto Rico – Carla TricoliMiss Congeniality Antigua and Barbuda – Kai DavisBest National Costume Dominican Republic – Amelia Vega
Pageant
Format The number of semi-finalists at this contest was increased from ten to fifteen. The preliminary competition began with fifteen contestants, and consisted of swimsuit and evening gown competitions and closed-door interviews. After the evening gown competition these were reduced to ten. Then the swimsuit competition reduced them to five. The five finalists then competed in the question and answer round and the final look.
Selection committee
Final telecast
Maria Celeste Arraras – Puerto Rican author and broadcaster journalist at Telemundo Deborah Carthy-Deu – Miss Universe 1985 from Puerto Rico Roberto Cavalli – Italian fashion designer Richard Johnson – American field artist and visual journalist at The Washington Post Amelia Marshall – American actress Audrey Quock – American model and actress Peter Reckell – American actor Mathew St. Patrick – American actor Fernanda Tavares – Brazilian supermodel
Contestants Seventy-one contestants competed for the title. Country/Territory Contestant Age Hometown Albania 20 Peshkopi AngolaAna Sebastião19Luanda Antigua and BarbudaKai Davis23St. John's ArgentinaLaura Romero22La Plata ArubaMalayka Rasmijn26Paradera AustraliaAshlea Talbot19Sydney BahamasNadia Johnson21Eleuthera BarbadosNadia Forte20Bridgetown BelgiumJulie Taton19Jambes BelizeBecky Bernard21Belize City BoliviaIrene Aguilera24Santa Cruz BrazilGislaine Ferreira19Belo Horizonte BulgariaElena Tihomirova22Panagyurishte CanadaLeanne Marie Cecile26Tecumseh Cayman IslandsNichelle Welcome23Bodden Town ChinaWu Wei23Fuzhou ColombiaDiana Mantilla21Bucaramanga Costa RicaAndrea Ovares22San José CroatiaIvana Delic23Rijeka CuraçaoVanessa van Arendonk22Willemstad CyprusIvi Lazarou20Limassol Czech RepublicKateřina Smržová22Prague Dominican RepublicAmelia Vega18Santiago EcuadorAndrea Jácome23Guayaquil EgyptNour El-Semary22Cairo El SalvadorDiana Valdivieso20Ahuachapán EstoniaKatrin Susi23Tallinn FinlandAnna Strömberg20Kristinestad FranceEmmanuelle Chossat23Paris GermanyAlexsandra Vodjanikova19Munich GreeceMarietta Chrousala20Athens GuatemalaFlorecita Cobián19Antigua GuyanaLeanna Damond25New Amsterdam HungaryViktoria Tomozi20Budapest IndiaNikita Anand19New Delhi IrelandLesley Flood21Limerick IsraelSivan Klein19Jerusalem ItalySilvia Ceccon20Vicenza JamaicaMichelle Lecky25Kingston JapanMiyako Miyazaki25Kumamoto MalaysiaElaine Daly26Kuala Lumpur MauritiusMarie-Aimée Bergicourt24Terre Rouge MexicoMarisol González Casas20Torreón NamibiaNdapewa Alfons24Windhoek NetherlandsTessa Brix22Oud-Beijerland New ZealandSharee Adams23Auckland NicaraguaClaudia Salmerón25Tipitapa NigeriaOhumotu Bissong19Yala NorwayHanne-Karine Sørby24Oslo PanamaStefanie de Roux20Panama City PeruClaudia Ortiz de Zevallos21Arequipa PhilippinesCarla Gay Balingit19Angeles City PolandIwona Makuch21Kielce Puerto RicoCarla Tricoli21Vieques RussiaOlesya Bondarenko24Khabarovsk Serbia and MontenegroSanja Papić19Novi Sad SingaporeBernice Wong25Singapore SlovakiaPetra Mokrošová20Michalovce SloveniaPolona Baš21Maribor South AfricaCindy Nell21Johannesburg South KoreaKeum Na-na19Daegu SpainEva González22Seville SwedenHelena Stenbäck23Piteå SwitzerlandNadine Vinzens19Chur Chinese TaipeiSzu-Yu Chen25Taipei ThailandYaowalak Traisurat19Nakhon Si Thammarat Trinidad and TobagoFaye Alibocus23San Fernando TurkeyÖzge Ulusoy20Istanbul UkraineLilja Kopytova18Dnipro United StatesSusie Castillo23Lawrence VenezuelaMariángel Ruiz23Maracay
Notes
References
External links Miss Universe official website