YESTERDAY MORNING the 79 Miss Universe delegates were dressing up and strutting up in Nicosia as they were fitted for their official pageant outfits, before the Welcome Dinner in Paphos tonight.
The girls had to choose the colour of their official swimsuits and >fun swimsuits=, the style of their white Angelo John dresses for tonight’s dinner, and the colour of their Calvari dresses for the Millennium Presentation Show in the Eleftheria Stadium on May 7.
The girls were also supplied with shoes — white and strappy, no doubt chosen to show their legs to the best advantage.
They paraded up and down in front of Garland, the wardrobe supervisor, while hovering seamstresses pinned and tucked them.
They then went through to hair and make up, before being photographed by the official Miss Universe photographer — photographs that will be given to VIP guests throughout the pageant.
It was the girls’ first, albeit unofficial, meeting with the press and they clearly enjoyed the attention.
Excitement was running high but there were also nerves about the challenge ahead and some were still jet lagged after arduous journeys.
Miss Panama, Analia Nunez, 20, left Panama City at 10.30am on Thursday and arrived in Larnaca, via Houston, New York and Amsterdam, at 6.50pm on Friday. But she is delighted to be here. Since winning Miss Panama in September she has been frantically learning English, cramming etiquette and perfecting her diction — all while still a university student of marketing and advertising.
Miss Yugoslavia, Lana Maric, 18 is also a student. When asked how people perceived her at home, she said: “I’m more famous than the president.”
Lana has won a scholarship to study architecture in New York, but if she wins Miss Universe she wants to dedicate her time to helping homeless children and dogs.
The pageant will give her an opportunity to meet Miss Croatia, Renata Lovrincevic, for the first time.
A Serb from Belgrade who had lived in Croatia as a child, Lana condemned the Balkans War and the Nato bombing. “But you know, I love everyone, we’re all humans and people.”
Her sentiments run contrary to the controversy that has clouded Miss Turkey’s non-participation in the pageant, however.
Reports in the Greek press claim that the Turkish delegate, Cansu Dere, was forbidden by the Turkish government to travel to Cyprus unless she could pass through the occupied areas, which is strictly forbidden for any visitor to the Republic of Cyprus.
The competition committee in Turkey made arrangements for her to travel through Athens, but the day before her departure the government refused to let her go, “for political reasons”.
A Miss Universe spokesman said Miss Turkey would not be attending “because she was unwell”.
Machi newspaper commented that the “virus of the Cyprus problem has affected Miss Turkey”.
This is the second problem for the Turkey delegation. Their first candidate, Dogoum Vegeri, was disqualified for being underage — all Miss Universe entrants must be over 18.
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