Morocco has been cleared to field a candidate for the 70th Miss Universe pageant after forty years of absence.
Paula Shugart, the president of the Miss Universe organisation, who broke the news, also said that a contestant from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will also take part for the first time.
“Another new development is that there will be a contestant from the United Arab Emirates for the first time, as well as one from Morocco for the first time in decades. The final list of contestants will be released in November,” she said.
Shugart added that the 70th Miss Universe competition will be held in the Israeli Red Sea resort of Eilat on December 12.
In September 2020, the UAE and Bahrain established official ties with Israel, even as Morocco and Sudan signed similar deals with Israel to normalise ties.
On May 17, Andrea Meza, the current Miss Universe, was crowned after the competition had to be postponed for more than a year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The 26-year-old Mexican beat 73 other women, including Julia Gama (Miss Brazil), who was runner-up, and Janick Maceta Del Castillo (Miss Peru), who was second runner-up.
According to report, Steve Harvey, US comedian and TV host, will return as the host of the pageantry, which will make it the sixth time he will be hosting the show.
He started anchoring the pageant in 2015, where he appeared to have made a mistake that “threatened his career”.