One of the most spectacular nights on the Miss World calendar lived up to all expectation, tonight. Hundreds of people packed into the ballroom at the Sheraton Resort Sanya to see 102 girls take to the stage in their beachwear to compete for a guaranteed place in the Miss World 2005 final. The evening started with contestants walking the catwalk in front of a mass of international and Chinese press. They came in threes down the catwalk looking sensational. Girl after girl paraded down on a truly international night. The judges included Mrs Julia Morley – Chairman of the Miss World Organisation, Maria Julia – Miss World 2004, Ross Cowley – Vice President of Star World, and Jamie Pyatt – The Sun, and Claudio Nardini – General Manager of the Sheraton Sanya Resort.

They had their work cut out – and the concentration on their faces was easy to see! As the guests ate the delicious buffet food, the judges deliberated and picked out nineteen semi-finalists: Hong Kong China, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Wales, Trinidad & Tobago, South Africa, Slovenia, Russia, Philippines, New Zealand, Moldova, Mexico, Lebanon, Kenya, Jamaica, Italy, Iceland, Canada and Brazil. The semi-finalists returned to the stage for the announcement of the five finalists who were: Moldova, Canada, Iceland, Mexico and Russia. The five finalists returned to the stage looking eager and excited to hear the announcement of the beachwear winner. There was silence in the crowd as everyone waited on baited breath to hear the result. The winner rang out as Russia, which raised rapturous applause, with Moldova coming second and Mexico third.

 

The spectacular Intercontinental Sports Event was a closely fought contest with the most electric atmosphere. Each event was supported with such enthusiasm by the girls, it made a real show. The teams from each continent competed in four sporting disciplines: Strength, long jump, swimming and running. The Strength Event was first event of the day. This consisted of three different exercises - sit ups, step ups and burpees. Each contestant had 45 seconds to complete as many of exercises as possible. The Long Jump was next with every teammate taking one jump. The contestant that jumped the furthest in that team then represented their continental group and go on to have a further three jumps.

Four girls from each continent were chosen to represent their continents in yesterday’s time trials. The teams were:

Caribbean: Barbados, Jamaica, Guadalupe, Martinique, Aruba 
Africa: Mauritius, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Zambia
Asia Pacific: New Zealand, Malaysia, Japan and China PR
Americas: Peru, Costa Rica, Guyana, Guatemala
Northern Europe: Wales, Denmark, Netherlands, Iceland
Southern Europe: Greece, Gibraltar, Turkey, Hungary 

Every race and jump were evenly matched and the final results: Asia came first with 29 points, followed by the Caribbean with 28 and Southern Europe with 22 points.

 

The first five awards of Miss World 2005 were presented tonight, to category winners at the Miss World Talent Show. An audience of nearly 3,000 packed into the Rui’an stadium to witness the night of their lives as the Miss World contestants sang, danced and performed their way into the hearts of the people of Rui’an.

Songstress American Virgin Islands wowed with a rousing rendition of ‘I Will Always Love You’ and received a standing ovation from her fellow contestants to win the title in Best Singing Act, while national skating champion Italy wowed the crowds – and came away with the medal for Best Original Performance with a breathtaking roller skating display to Pavarotti’s Nessun Dorma. Canada belly-danced her way to the top place in the traditional dance category, while Japan silenced the arena with her faultless violin recital to win Best Musical Act. The category of Best Dance Performance was hotly contested but Czech Republic scooped the title with her modern ballet to When You Believe from hit move The Prince of Egypt.

The overall winner chosen from the five category winners tonight – and recipient of a place in the final 15 – will be announced at the grand final in Sanya on 10th December.

 

 

Participants of the 55th Miss World beauty pageant paraded in Sanya’s beaches in their swimsuits. The Miss World Beach Beauty finals is slated on Nov. 26th in Hainan Island, Sanya. This is the third year where the Miss World Organization is holding fast-track events. The swimsuit competition otherwise knows as Beach Beauty fast-track contest is a scheme anticipated by many Miss World followers. Everyone will have the opportunity to witness the participants’ fit bodies but more importantly, it is one way to promote the official Miss World swimsuit line.

Wilnelia Forsyth, Miss World in 1975 and wife of TV personality Bruce Forsyth, has come full circle as a Miss World. Now 29 years on the contestants in today’s beach wear competition are now wearing her swimsuits which she herself has designed. In the swimsuit competition, the candidates will be judged according to their bearing and perfect statures.

Contestants of the Miss World 2005 pageant in Sanya attended the awards ceremony of the 25th China Golden Rooster Awards, dubbed as "China's Oscar" on November 12, 2005 in Sanya of Hainan Province, south China. A stunning procession of Miss World contestants wowed the crowds at the annual Chinese Film Awards. The centenary year of Chinese film saw celebrities such as Jackie Chan walk the red carpet alongside the stars of this year’s Miss World Contest.

There was rapturous applause from the adoring crowds and constant flashes from the paparazzi that had been waiting in anticipation to see the girls arrive. They looked fabulous in their colourful evening attire, pausing to meet crowds and sign the giant autograph board halfway up the red carpet. The beauties filled row after row inside the show adding glamour and excitement to the ambience. The show, live on CCTV 6 was full of inspiring home performances with the climax of a truly international sight as the contestants filled the stage, smiling and waiving to the loving crowd. They sang along and clapped in a fantastic finale to a magnificent night.

Miss Mexico, Dafne Molina added "That was great, to be walking the red carpet and taking to the stage made us feel like Hollywood stars, what a great way to spend our first evening out together." The girls left the aptly named Beauty Crown Theatre with a dramatic exit: a spectacular fireworks display that lit the way to the buses and briefly distracted the hoards of fans looking to get a final picture.

“This is overwhelming, I have never seen so many excited people,” said Miss New Zealand Kay Anderson, as you rode the parade around the Miss World host city Sanya. For anyone who witnessed the spectacle of nearly half a million people turned out to welcome the Miss World contestants, the judgement of Miss New Zealand is easy to appreciate.

Crowds ten deep lined the streets to cheer the contestants as they travelled the city in open-top jeeps and on highly decorated floats. Joining them on the route were dance groups, Chinese theatre troops, stilt walkers, musicians and schoolchildren. The parade also included stars of Asian film in town for the 14th Golden Rooster Chinese Film Festival – an event also attended by Miss World contestants later that same evening.

The parade was set off by Miss World Chairman Julia Morley and local dignitaries including Mayor Zhang. As the parade wove its way around the streets of Sanya, firecrackers filled the air and people young and old ran to present the contestants with flowers and toys.

“The incredible welcome we have received from so many people has made this a day we will never forget,’ said Miss Australia Dennae Brunow. “It is all rather unbelievable. I won my national contest seven weeks ago and now I am here alongside so many wonderful girls in China. The children were great, giving us presents and even asking for our autographs. I’m a girl from Albury and this has been the most unbelievable experience in my life.’ “Their welcome is important as it makes us feel at home in China - especially as this is my first trip overseas. I spoke to my mum last night and she is so proud of me being here. She and my dad are learning to send texts now so that she can vote for me!”