Miss World 2003

Miss World 2003
Miss World 2003 Titlecard
Date	December 6, 2003
Presenters	Phil Keoghan, Amanda Byram, Angela Chow
Entertainment	Luis Fonsi, Bryan Ferry, Pierre Cardin Kongfu Troupe, Red Poppy Ladies Percussion, Capital Art Troupe, Wuhan Acrobatic Troupe
Venue	Crown of Beauty Theatre, Sanya, People's Republic of China
Entrants	106
Placements	20
Debuts	Andorra, Ethiopia, Georgia, Guadeloupe, Northern Marianas
Withdraws	Algeria, American Virgin Islands, Ghana, Tahiti
Returns	Belarus, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Iceland, Korea, Lesotho, Mauritius, Moldova, Nepal, Paraguay, Portugal, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Zambia
Winner	Rosanna Davison  Ireland

Miss World 2003, the 53rd Miss World pageant was held at Crown of Beauty Theatre, Sanya, People's Republic of China on December 6, 2003. The pageant was presented by Phil Keoghan, Amanda Byram and Angela Chow. The contestants also paid a visit to Hong Kong, Xi'an, Shanghai and Beijing. Miss World 2002, Azra Akın of Turkey crowned her successor Rosanna Davison of Ireland, the daughter of popular musician Chris de Burgh, claiming Ireland's first major beauty pageant title. 106 contestants from all over the world competed for the crown, marking at that time, the biggest edition in the pageant history. It is now the third largest edition of the pageant, tied with Miss World 2007.

Results

Placements

Countries and territories which sent delegates and results

Continental Queens of Beauty

• Queen of Africa: Hayat Ahmed (Ethiopia)
• Queen of Americas: Nazanin Afshin-Jam (Canada)
• Queen of Asia & Oceania: Guan Qi (People's Republic of China)
• Queen of Caribbean: Jade Fulford (Jamaica)
• Queen of Europe: Rosanna Davison (Ireland)

Fast Track Events

Beach Beauty

• Winner: Rosanna Davison (Ireland)
• 1st runner-up: Bianca Sissing (Switzerland)
• 2nd runner-up: Helen Aponte (Bolivia)
• Top 10 semi-finalists: Julie Taton (Belgium), Hayat Ahmed (Ethiopia), Jade Fulford (Jamaica), Melanie Paul (New Zealand), Maria Rafaela Yunon (Philippines), Karolina Gorazda (Poland), Natalia Rodríguez (Uruguay)

Miss Sports

• Winner: Nazanin Afshin Jam (Canada)
• 1st runner-up: Lucie Vachova (Czech Republic)
• 2nd runner-up: Patricia Filomena Chifor (Romania)

Miss Personality

• Winner: Helen Aponte (Bolivia)
• 1st runner-up: Racquel Wilkinson (Barbados)
• 2nd runner-up: Anne-Marie Browne (Antigua)

Miss Talent

• Winner: Irina Onashvili (Georgia)
• 1st runner-up: Joyceline Montero (Puerto Rico)
• 2nd runner-up: Kriistina Gabor (Estonia)
• Top 20 semi-finalists: Anne-Marie Browne (Antigua), Grisel Hitoff (Argentina), Nathalie Biermans (Aruba), Boingotlo Motlalekgosi (Botswana), Nazanin Afshin-Jam (Canada), Quan Qi (People's Republic of China), Claudia Molina (Colombia), Lucie Vachova (Czech Republic), Maria Eugenia Vargas (Dominican Republic), Hayat Ahmed (Ethiopia), Ami Vashi (India), Rosanna Davison (Ireland), Park Ji-yea (Korea), Irina Askolska (Latvia), Vaida Griksaite (Lithuania), Marija Vašik (Macedonia FYRO), Kimberly Castro (Northern Marianas), Valentina Patruno (Venezuela)

People's Choice

• Winner: Olivia Stratton (Australia)

Special awards

• Best World Dress Designer: Claudia Hernández (Peru)
• Miss World Scholarship: Denisa Kola (Albania)

Contestants

National pageant notes

Debuts

• Andorra, Ethiopia, Georgia, Guadeloupe and Northern Marianas competed in Miss World for the first time.

Returning countries and territories

• Lesotho last competed in 1981
• Mauritius last competed in 1998
• Zambia last competed in 1999
• Belarus, Denmark, Guatemala, Moldova, Nepal, Paraguay and Sri Lanka last competed in 2000
• Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Iceland, Korea, Portugal and Switzerland last competed in 2001

Nations which competed last year but not this year

•  Algeria
•  American Virgin Islands
•  Ghana - Did not compete in Miss World 2003 because of a shift in the Miss Ghana calendar. Organizers held the national final, Miss Ghana 2003, on the same date Miss World 2003 was held. This is the reason Ghanaian delegates to Miss World have their titles dating back by a year.
•  Tahiti

Withdraws

•  Armenia - Luysya Tovmasian
•  Austria - Tanja Duhovich
•  Fiji - Aishwarya Sukhdeo withdrew at the very last minute for unknown reasons; however, she competed in Miss World a year later

Country Changes

• Yugoslavia changed its name to Serbia & Montenegro

Crossovers

• USA previously competed at Miss Teen USA 2002 representing the U.S. state of Georgia. She placed as the 4th runner-up
• Northern Marianas was originally crowned for the Miss Universe pageant but was sent to Miss World instead
• 14 of the contestants also competed in Miss Universe:
  • Miss Universe 2003: Albania, Belgium, Cayman Islands, Mauritius, Nigeria and South Africa (who placed as the 2nd runner-up)
  • Miss Universe 2004: Antigua, Curaçao, Czech Republic, Lebanon and Switzerland (who placed among the top 15 semi-finalists)
  • Miss Universe 2005: Paraguay, Trinidad & Tobago (who placed among the top 15 semi-finalists) and Zambia

Historical signicance

• 13 out of 20 countries which made it into the semi-finals, were not in the semi-finals last year: Switzerland (1985), Canada (1989), Ireland (1990), Bolivia and Trinidad & Tobago (1995), Dominican Republic and Greece (1996), Lebanon and New Zealand (1997), and Jamaica (1998). Ethiopia and Georgia, which debuted on that same year, made into the semi-finals for the first time
• Miss World 2003 Rosanna Davison was signed by Rage Models London
• Philippines makes its first of two back-to-back appearances at the top 20 (1993 & 1994), (2002 & 2003) and they are back at the top five after almost 10 years. Representative is the niece of Miss Universe 1984 3rd runner-up, Maria Desiree Verdadero
• India and Venezuela grew up in the United States, while Hong Kong grew up in Vancouver, Canada
• Canada, Nazanin Afshin-Jam, was born in Iran
• Uruguay, Natalia Rodríguez, appeared in one of the pitstops of The Amazing Race 5, while Sri Lanka, Sachini Ayendra Stanley, appeared briefly on The Amazing Race 6
• Andorra, Angola, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Japan, Kazakhstan, Panama, Paraguay, Spain, Turkey and Uruguay introduced themselves in native languages in the Miss World U-Decide Show

External links

• Pageantopolis
• Jimmy's Pageant Page