MISS UNIVERSE 2019 - NATIONAL COSTUMES

JUST IN: #MissUniverse clarifies that Philippine bet Gazini Ganados won the pageant's National Costume competition.

“Miss Universe Philippines Gazini Ganados is the winner of the Miss Universe 2019 National Costume competition. As part of the broadcast, we also featured Miss Universe Malaysia Shweta Sekhon’s national costume. No mistakes regarding the national costume winner were made by the host Steve Harvey, the prompter or production.”

READ | Miss Universe Malaysia National Director Elaine Daly speaks up after #MissUniverse2019 National Costume award mix-Up

@elainedaly : I am extremely disappointed at how the Best National Costume announcement at Miss Universe has come to this.

A few hours ago, during the live telecast just after the opening round, Shweta was asked to go backstage to change into her National Costume for it to be showcased as Best National Costume, and that’s what she did, and conducted interviews as well.

When she came out, the host Steve Harvey announced Philippines as the winner and even when he approached to talk to Shweta, he still assumed he was talking to Philippines she of course corrected him and said it was Malaysia and not Philippines. And she continued to explain her costume.

Malaysia, who has never been placed at Miss Universe nor won anything, rejoiced!
4 hours later, we found out via Twitter that Miss Philippines was the actual winner. I have taken sometime to reply anyone because I was waiting for an explanation from the Miss Universe Organisation.

So I emailed Paula - the President and asked her to please clarify, Paula replied me and said that Philippines won the online voting, but the producing staff backstage picked their favorite and wanted to showcase her.

However this was not explained on the show. To everyone who watched it, it was like as if Malaysia had won. Because why would you put a delegate in her costume, have her do interviews and then tell her that she actually didn’t win but was just the producing staff’s choice .

I’m speechless but it is what it is.

To all of you who have congratulated and made us feel special, I thank you. Shweta and her national costume will always be a winner to us. I mean, we did get all eyes on Malaysia and we got to show off our culture and heritage right?