Miss World 2003 was the 53rd edition of the Miss World pageant, held at the Crown of Beauty Theatre in Sanya, China, on December 6, 2003. It was the first time that the Miss World pageant held in China.

At the end of the event, Azra Akın of Turkey crowned Rosanna Davison of Ireland as her successor. It is Ireland's first victory in the history of the pageant. The first and second runners-up we're Canada's Nazanin Afshin-Jam and China's Guan Qi.

106 contestants competed in this year's pageant, surpassing the previous record of 95 contestants in 2000. The pageant was hosted by Phil Keoghan, Amanda Byram, and Angela Chow. Luis Fonsi and Bryan Ferry performed in this year's pageant.

Debuts, returns, and, withdrawals This edition saw the debut of Andorra, Ethiopia, Georgia, Guadeloupe and Northern Mariana Islands, and the return of Belarus, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Iceland, Lesotho, Mauritius, Moldova, Nepal, Paraguay, Portugal, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Switzerland and Zambia; Lesotho, which last competed in 1981, Mauritius in 1998, Zambia in 1999, Belarus, Denmark, Guatemala, Moldova, Nepal, Paraguay and Sri Lanka in 2000 and Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Iceland, Portugal, South Korea and Switzerland in 2001 .

Algeria, French Polynesia, Ghana, and the United States Virgin Islands, withdrew from the competition.

Results

Placements Placement Contestant Miss World 2003 – Rosanna Davison 1st Runner-Up – Nazanin Afshin-Jam 2nd Runner-Up – Guan Qi Top 5 – Ami Vashi – Maria Rafaela Yunon Top 20 – Olivia Stratton – Helen Aponte – María Vargas – Hayat Ahmed – Irina Onashvili – Vasiliki Tsekoura – Jade Fulford – Marie-José Hnein – Melanie Paul – Elisabeth Wathne – Claudia Hernández – Joyceline Montero – Bianca Sissing – Magdalene Walcott – Valentina Patruno

Continental Queens of Beauty Continent Contestant Africa – Hayat Ahmed Americas – Nazanin Afshin-Jam Asia and Oceania – Guan Qi Caribbean – Jade Fulford Europe – Rosanna Davison

Judges Miss World 2003 had nine judges. Candace Bushnell Jackie Chan Agbani Darego – Miss World 2001 from Nigeria Bruce Forsyth† Gustavo Gianetti Julia Morley – Chairwoman of the Miss World Organisation Krish Naidoo Clive Robertson Dick Zimmermann

Contestants

106 contestants competed for the title. Country/TerritoryContestantAgeHometownDenisa Kola21PeshkopiMaría José Girol Jumenez19Andorra la VellaCelma Katia Carlos20LubangoAnne-Marie Browne24St. John'sGrisel Hitoff24Buenos AiresNathalie Biermanns21OranjestadOlivia Stratton22AdelaideShantell Hall19FreeportRaquel Wilkinson23BridgetownVolha Nevdakh23MinskJulie Taton19JambesDalila Vanzie25DangrigaHelen Aponte19BeniIrna Smaka19SarajevoBoingotlo Motlalekgosi19GaboroneLara Brito24GoiâniaRajna Naldzhieva17SofiaNazanin Afshin-Jam24VancouverNichelle Welcome24George TownAlejandra Soler25La SerenaGuan Qi21ChangchunClaudia Molina18BarranquillaShirley Álvarez23DesamparadosAleksandra Grdić24ViroviticaAngeline da Silva Goes19WillemstadStella Stylianou18NicosiaLucie Váchová19PříbramMaj Buchholtz Pedersen20SkagenMaría Eugenia Vargas19SantiagoMayra Rentería18EsmeraldasJacqueline Turner25DorsetKriistina Gabor19PärnuHayat Ahmed21Addis AbabaKatri Johanna Hynninen20NaantaliVirginie Dubois19ParisIrina Onashvili18TbilisiBabette Konau25KielKim Marie Falzun20GibraltarVasiliki Tsekoura23AthensLauranza Doliman23GoyaveDulce María Duarte21ChiquimulaAlexis Glasgow22New AmsterdamSanne de Regt21GoesRabee'a Yeung22Hong KongEszter Tóth19TatabányaRegína Jónsdóttir20ReykjavíkAmi Vashi23MumbaiRosanna Davison19EnniskerryMiri Levy20HaifaSilvia Cannas21CagliariJade Fulford21KingstonKaoru Nishide25KyotoSaule Zhunosova17PavlodarJanet Kibugu18NairobiIrina Askolska23RigaMarie-José Hnein19BaabdaMakuena Lepolesa20MaseruVaida Grikšaitė20KlaipėdaMarija Vašik19SkopjeWong Sze Zen23Kuala LumpurRachel Xuereb22GwardamanġaMarie Aimee Bergicourt24PamplemoussesErika Honstein22HermosilloElena Danilciuc18ChișinăuPetrina Thomas22KeetmanshoopPriti Sitoula21KathmanduMelanie Paul23AucklandHailey Britton Brooks22BluefieldsOhumotu Bissong20CalabarDiana Sayers22SaintfieldKimberly Castro Reyes19SaipanElisabeth Wathne21MandalIvy Ruth Ortega19Panama CityKarina Buttner21AsunciónClaudia Hernández22LimaMaria Rafaela Yunon22TarlacKarolina Gorazda23KrakówVanessa Job20OeirasJoyceline Montero21BayamónPatricia Filomena Chifor17Satu MareSvetlana Goreva21TulaNicci Jolly22InverbervieBojana Vujadinović23BelgradeCorine Kanmani24SingaporeAdriana Pospíšilová20BratislavaTina Zajc20LjubljanaCindy Nell22PretoriaPark Ji-yea24North JeollaMaría Teresa Martín23AntequeraSachini Stanley21KandyThembelihle Zwane18MbabaneIda Söfringsgärd19VäxjöBianca Sissing24LucerneSylvia Bahame20Dar es SalaamJanejira Keardprasop22BangkokMagdalene Walcott21Tunapuna–PiarcoTuğba Karaca24AnkaraAysha Nassanga20KampalaIlona Yakovleva22KharkivKimberly Ann Harlan20AtlantaNatalia Rodríguez24MontevideoValentina Patruno21CaracasNguyễn Đình Thụy Quân17Ho Chi Minh CityImogen Thomas21LlanelliCynthia Kanema22KabwePhoebe Monjane21Marondera

Notes

Did not compete – Lusine Tovmasyan - She withdrew due to financial problems. – Aishwarya Sukhdeo - She withdrew at the last minute for unknown reasons. however, she competed in Miss World a year later.

No Shows – Mounia Achlaf – Miss Austria 2003, Tanja Duhovich did not compete due to not meeting the age requirements, she was just 17. Then the Miss Austria corporation decided to appoint the Miss Austria 2003 second runner up, Bianca Zudrell at the last minute with no time to prepare her visa. – No contest - No Contest – Mable Pulu - Heitiare Tribondeau - No contest – Did not compete because of a shift in the Miss Ghana calendar. Organizers held the national final, Miss Ghana 2003, on the same day Miss World 2003 was held. This is the reason Ghanaian delegates to Miss World have their titles dating back by a year. – Alexandrya Evans. She competed at Miss Universe 2011 8 years later.

Replacements – Agnese Eiduka – Isabelle Jonsson - She was the first runner up of Fröken Sverige 2003, but the organization just lost the MW licence that year to the newly Miss World Sweden contest. – Amara Barroeta Seijas.

Country Changes Yugoslavia changed its name to Serbia and Montenegro.

Other notes Northern Mariana Islands was originally crowned for the Miss Universe pageant but was sent to Miss World instead.

References

External links

http://www.grahamecurtis.com/irishconnectionsmag/archives/v5i1/missworld.htm