Miss Universe 2002 was the 51st Miss Universe pageant, held at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on 29 May 2002.
At the conclusion of the event, Denise Quiñones of Puerto Rico crowned Oxana Fedorova of Russia as Miss Universe 2002. This was the first time that Russia had been crowned Miss Universe.
Fedorova had her title terminated four months later as she could not travel to fulfill her duties, and was replaced by first runner-up Justine Pasek of Panama.
Contestants from seventy-five countries competed in this pageant. The competition was hosted by Phil Simms and Daisy Fuentes, and Miss Universe 1997 Brook Lee was the backstage correspondent. Marc Anthony performed at this pageant. This was also the last Miss Universe edition to be aired on CBS.
Background
Location and date In December 2001, Jorge Santini, then-mayor of San Juan and Miss Universe 2001 Denise Quiñones attended at a news conference in San Juan where it was announced that the 2002 pageant will be held in Puerto Rico for the second consecutive year. The city of San Juan was chosen as the venue of the pageant from eight other cities.
Selection of participants Seventy-five countries and territories competed in the pageant. One candidate was appointed to her position to replace the original winner.
Replacements Lorena Ayala, the winner of Miss España 2001 pageant, cut all ties with the Miss España organization and lost the right to represent Spain at any international pageant after a threat of a lawsuit against the Miss España Organization by her family, due to a contractual breach with the organization. Ayala was replaced by Vania Millán at the request of the Miss Universe Organization.
Debuts and withdrawals The 2002 edition saw the debuts of Albania and China, and the returns of Kenya who last competed in Miss Universe 1995, Guyana who last competed in Miss Universe 1999, and Australia, Mauritius, and Namibia who last competed in Miss Universe 2000. Karen Russell of Belize and Yana Booth of Great Britain withdrew due to a change of the local franchise holder. Christina Sawaya, Miss Lebanon 2001, withdrew due to her support of the Second Intifada, stating that she wouldn't compete with Miss Israel 2002, Yamit Har-Noy at the pageant. Euwonka Selver of the Turks and Caicos Islands had her title removed a few weeks before leaving for the pageant, and the organization didn't replace her. Shirley Yeung of Hong Kong, Loredana Zammit of Malta, and Gabriela Riquelme of Paraguay withdrew after their respective organizations lost their licenses. Hong Kong began sending their candidates to Miss China in 2003. Argentina, Barbados, Botswana, New Zealand, and Taiwan withdrew after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or appoint a delegate.
Replacement of Oxana Fedorova In September 2002, four months after winning Miss Universe, Fedorova was replaced by Justine Pasek, making her the first Miss Universe to be removed during their reign. According to then-president of the Miss Universe Organization Paula Shugart, Fedorova was not able to fulfill her duties as she needed to spend a lot of time in Russia. Fedorova was expected to travel extensively and make personal appearances as part of her duties, but she declined to participate in some of those assignments, including the 2002 Miss Teen USA pageant.
In an interview with Russian TV Channel 2, Fedorova said she was surprised when the Miss Universe Organization described her resignation as an ouster, and that the decision to return the crown was up to her. According to Fedorova, the reason why she spent so much time in Russia was because of her education. Fedorova is a police lieutenant in Russia, and at the time she was Miss Universe, she was finishing her dissertation at the Academy of Internal Affairs which she defended in October of the same year. Fedorova also refuted speculations that she is pregnant because she is not yet married.
First runner-up Justine Pasek was crowned as Miss Universe 2002 at a press conference in New York City by Donald Trump.
Results
Placements Placement Contestant Miss Universe 2002 – Oxana Fedorova (terminated) 1st Runner-Up – Justine Pasek (assumed) 2nd Runner-Up – Ling Zhuo 3rd Runner-Up – Vanessa Carreira 4th Runner-Up – Cynthia Lander Top 10 – Anisa Kospiri – Neelam Verma – Demetra Eleftheriou — Natascha Börger – Neha Dhupia
Special awards AwardWinnerMiss Photogenic Puerto Rico – Isis CasalducMiss Congeniality United States Virgin Islands – Merlisa George
Best National Costume PlacementContestantWinner Colombia – Vanessa Mendoza1st runner-up Puerto Rico – Isis Casalduc2nd runner-up Dominican Republic – Ruth Ocumárez
Pageant
Format Same with 2001, ten semifinalists were chosen through the preliminary competition— composed of the swimsuit and evening gown competitions and closed-door interviews. The ten semifinalists competed in the evening gown and swimsuit competitions and were narrowed down to five afterward. The five finalists competed in the question and answer round and the final question round, after which Miss Universe 2002 and her runners-up were announced.
Selection committee
Final broadcast Marshall Faulk – American football player Tyrese Gibson – American singer, actor, and model Marisol Malaret – Miss Universe 1970 from Puerto Rico Christopher McDonald – American actor Yue-Sai Kan – Chinese-American actress, host, humanitarian, and entrepreneur Oswald Mendez – A contestant from The Amazing Race 2 Nicole Miller – American fashion designer and businesswoman Gena Lee Nolin – American actress and model Tatjana Patitz – German model Ethan Zohn – American television personality
Contestants Seventy-five contestants competed for the title. Country/Territory Contestant Age Hometown Albania 19 Tirana AngolaGiovana Leite18Luanda Antigua and BarbudaAisha Ralph24St. John's ArubaDeyanira Frank23San Nicolaas AustraliaSarah Davies19Brisbane The BahamasNadia Albury21Nassau BelgiumAnn Van Elsen22Mol BoliviaPaola Coimbra21Santa Cruz de la Sierra BrazilJoseane Oliveira20Canoas British Virgin IslandsAnestasia Tonge18Tortola BulgariaElina Georgieva19Sofia CanadaNeelam Verma26Montreal Cayman IslandsShannon McLean24East End ChileNicole Rencoret25Santiago ChinaZhuo Ling19Shanghai ColombiaVanessa Mendoza20Unguía Costa RicaMerilyn Villalta22Cartago CroatiaIvana Paris18Pazin CuraçaoAyanette Statia19Willemstad CyprusDemetra Eleftheriou19Nicosia Czech RepublicDiana Kobzanová20Roudná Dominican RepublicRuth Ocumárez20Santo Domingo EcuadorIsabel Ontaneda-Pinto23Quito EgyptSally Shaheen24Cairo El SalvadorElisa Sandoval22San Salvador EstoniaJana Tafenau19Tallinn FinlandJanette Broman20Lieto FranceSylvie Tellier20Nantes GermanyNatascha Börger21Bönningstedt GhanaStephanie Walkins-Fia22Accra GreeceLena Paparigopoulou21Athens GuatemalaCarina Velasquez21Zacapa GuyanaMia Rahaman22Georgetown HondurasErika Ramirez18Atlántida HungaryEdit Friedl23Budapest IndiaNeha Dhupia21Delhi IrelandLisa O'Sullivan20South Dublin IsraelYamit Har-Noy20Oranit ItalyAnna Rigon23Vicenza JamaicaSanya Hughes19Kingston JapanMina Chiba24Tokyo KenyaJulie Njeru19Laikipia MalaysiaKaren Lit Eit Ang25Kuching MauritiusKaren Alexandre22Port Louis MexicoEricka Cruz20Mérida NamibiaMichelle Heitha26Windhoek NetherlandsKim Kötter19Losser NicaraguaMarianela Lacayo21Managua NigeriaChinenye Ochuba18Lagos Northern Mariana IslandsVirginia Gridley22Chalan Kanoa NorwayHege Hatlo21Rogaland PanamaJustine Pasek22Panama City PeruAdriana Zubiate20Callao PhilippinesKaren Loren Agustín19Manila PolandJoanna Dozdrowska23Szczecin PortugalIva Lamarão19Ovar Puerto RicoIsis Casalduc21Utuado RussiaOxana Fedorova24Saint Petersburg SingaporeNuraliza Osman25Singapore SlovakiaEva Džodlová19Prešov SloveniaIris Mulej20Kranj South AfricaVanessa Carreira22Boksburg South KoreaKim Min-kyoung20Seoul SpainVania Millan24Almería SwedenMalou Hansson19Järfälla SwitzerlandJennifer Ann Gerber20Aargau ThailandJanjira Janchome19Phitsanulok Trinidad and TobagoNasma Mohammed23Princes Town TurkeyÇağla Kubat23İzmir UkraineLiliana Gorova20Kyiv United StatesShauntay Hinton23Washington, D.C. United States Virgin IslandsMerlisa Rhonda George26Saint Croix UruguayFiorella Fleitas20Canelones VenezuelaCynthia Lander19Caracas YugoslaviaSlađana Božović21Kragujevac
Notes
References
External links
Miss Universe official website