Miss Grand International 2020
8th Miss Grand International beauty pageant 2020 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Miss Grand International 2020 was the eighth Miss Grand International pageant, held on 27 March 2021, at DC Hall in Bangkok, Thailand.[1][2][3][4] It marked the first time in the pageant's history where a black woman won the crown.[5][6][7] Twenty-seven-year-old Abena Appiah was the first United States representative to win the title.[6][8] As was normal of the pageant, she was crowned by her immediate predecessor, Valentina Figuera of Venezuela,[9][10] and spent a year working as the organization's spokesperson in the campaign against all forms of conflict.[6][11]
Miss Grand International 2020 | |
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Date | 27 March 2021 |
Presenters | Matthew Deane |
Venue | DC Hall, Bangkok, Thailand |
Broadcaster | Youtube, Facebook Live |
Entrants | 63 |
Placements | 21 |
Debuts |
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Withdrawals |
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Returns |
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Winner | Abena Appiah United States |
Best National Costume |
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Best in Swinsuit | Alaise Guedes, Brazil |
Best Evening Gown | Angela Yuriar, Mexico |
Previously, the pageant was scheduled to be held in Venezuela on 25 October 2020, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization decided to postpone the event to 2021 and move the venue to Bangkok, Thailand.[12][13] After arriving in Thailand, each contestant had to quarantine in the country for two weeks before taking part in the pageant,[12][14] following Thailand's public health measures aiming to prevent and control the pandemic.[1] The further examination found two contestants had tested positive for COVID-19 during the quarantine period. Both were subsequently treated in the hospital until testing negative and were permitted to participate in the remaining activities of the pageant.[6][10][15][16]
The grand final of the pageant was hosted by Matthew Deane,[7] and featured 63 contestants.[2][17][18] In addition to crowning the winner, the representative of Myanmar, Han Lay, also took the stage during the final telecast to make a declaration against alleged atrocities committed by Myanmar's military in her home country and pleaded for urgent international aid amid the ongoing bloodshed.[17][19][20][21] Her statement caused the Myanmar military government to issue an arrest warrant against her,[22][23] leading her to apply for refugee asylum in Thailand with the support of the pageant organizer,[3][22][23] and she eventually immigrated to Canada for political asylum in late 2021.[24]