The Miss Universe Fiji licensee has terminated the contract organiser for the 2024 Fiji Miss Universe held over the weekend, after they failed to follow protocol, and caused unnecessary confusion and controversy on the night by awarding the wrong contestant as the winner.
Miss Universe Fiji licensee representative, Riri Febriani says the Miss Universe Fiji licensee is entitled to appoint all judges but only had one appointed and the licensee judge was in attendance to also to verify the process to be fair and transparent.
MUF says it trusted the contract organiser to appoint the other judges fairly and not with any predetermined bias, and to ensure the voting was done in a fair and transparent manner.
However Febriani says this didn’t occur, as they didn’t count the licensee vote, which made it 4 votes each for the top two contestants, and the organiser rushed to announce their preferred winner they wanted, despite it being a tie, and the licensee to be consulted, and to choose the winner in the event of a tie.
She says an internal review found the votes also were not submitted in private, so other judges couldn’t be swayed to support a pre determined winner.
The Miss Universe Fiji statement says it was also found that the organiser wanted a Fijian Indian to be the winner, to maximise his potential profits from global sponsorship and business deals.
They say such bias against non Fijian Indian contestants and an attempt to override a fair and transparent process for financial gain is concerning.
Miss Universe Fiji says legal action is pending against the organiser for bringing the event into disrepute.
They apologise for this occurrence, and especially to the top 2 contestants, for the mental anguish suffered as a result of the organisers failure to follow protocol and due to pre determined agendas.
Miss Universe Fiji says it is upsetting when such errors occur that taint what has been a very successful event, and with amazing contestants and a top ten that Fiji can be proud of.
They say the close competition however means that such an event will only get bigger and stronger in the years ahead, and they congratulate Nadine Roberts on being chosen as Miss Universe Fiji 2024, and thank all the contestants for their contribution and efforts.
The Miss Universe brought together Fiji’s elite in hospitality, business, and fashion.
Hosted at the luxurious The Pearl Resort & Spa, the event marked the country’s long-awaited return to the Miss Universe global stage, 43 years after its last participation.
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