Miss International Beauty Pageant 2020 cancelled

Miss International announced that its beauty pageant for 2020 is officially canceled due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

“Thank you for your continued support of the Miss International Beauty Pageant. Taking into consideration and health and safety issues, as well as, the ongoing global impact caused by the Covid-19 Pandemic, we have come to a conclusion to cancel this year’s Miss International 2020 pageant, which was originally scheduled to be held this fall.”

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“We would like to express our deepest regret, especially to the participants from all over the world, and to all those who have been supporting our event every year. We humbly ask for your understanding in a light of this unusual circumstance which is beyond our control,” it added.

The organization meanwhile, said the next edition, dubbed as the 60th Miss International Beauty Pageant, is scheduled to be held in the fall of 2021. “Details of which will be announced in due time.”

Miss International also said, “Rest assured through our slogan “Cheer All Women” we are still committed on pursuing our goal of supporting all women, and continuing the legacy of this beauty pageant, which is to promote “friendship and goodwill with other countries in the world” and the “realization of world peace through international exchange.”

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Lawyer Patch Magtanong in 2019 represented the Philippines in the Miss International pageant and finished in the Top 8.

The Philippines has won the Miss International crown six times since it was launched in 1960:

  • Gemma Cruz-1964
  • Aurora Pijuan- 1970
  • Melanie Marquez-1979
  • Lara Quigaman-2005
  • Bea Santiago-2013
  • Kylie Verzosa-2016

Also read: South Africa Zozibini Tunzi crowned Miss Universe 2019

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The pageant was created in Long Beach, California, United States, in 1960 after the departure of the Miss Universe pageant to Miami Beach. Hosted in Long Beach until 1967, the pageant moved to Japan from 1968–1970, being hosted each year in the same city as the Expo ’70.

The new Miss Universe Philippines (MUP) franchise also suspended its pageant activities due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) threat in the country.

The MUP said it is taking a “graceful pause to stand with the Filipino people” in an Instagram post.

“Pageant activities will be suspended with immediate effect to ensure the health and safety of our contestants, and for fans and production teams to focus on responding to the National Government’s recently implemented community quarantine,” the MUP said.