Just days before the 73rd coronation night of the pageant.
In a statement, the Miss Universe Organization (MUO), behind the namesake beauty pageant, said that Panaman representative Italy Mora had withdrawn from the competition.
“The Miss Universe Organization regrets to announce the withdrawal of Panama’s contestant from the Miss Universe 2024 pageant. This decision has been taken after a thorough evaluation by our disciplinary commission,” the group said.
It also shared that it did not disclose the reason behind the decision, as “The Miss Universe organization wishes to stress the importance of maintaining confidentiality and respect during this process.”
However, Mora, through a now-deleted statement that she posted in her personal Instagram account, claimed that she was “removed” from the 73rd edition after she left the hotel without permission from organizers.
A portion of her post read: “As I was preparing to attend the gala evening, the organization informed me of its decision that I should leave the competition. I was told that this measure was taken due to non-compliance with leaving the room, which I admit occurred to put on makeup and collect personal items.”
Miss Panama then aired her sentiment that the matter could have been possibly settled through a peaceful dialog between her and the organization.
“[…] I consider it was a severe measure and that, instead, it could have been resolved with a dialogue or a warning,” the beauty queen wrote in the said statement.
Despite her recent post, the MUO has so far not made any further comments regarding the issue.
The 73rd Miss Universe is scheduled to take place in Mexico City, Mexico on Sunday, November 17 (Manila time).
The Philippines will be represented by Bulacan queen Chelsea Manalo, who will be competing for a chance to get the country’s fifth crown against 128 candidates in a new show format.
ABS-CBN has also revealed that it will be airing and streaming the coronation event live via A2Z on free-to-air TV, Kapamilya Channel and Metro Channel on pay television, and its free streaming service iWantTFC.