Saudi Arabia to debut at Miss Universe with Rumy Alqahtani
After 72 years, Saudi Arabia is expected to debut at the prestigious Miss Universe pageant this year with newly proclaimed Miss Universe Saudi Arabia 2024 Rumy Alqahtani.
Rumy, from Riyadh, is a 27-year-old model, beauty pageant veteran, and influencer with a million followers on Instagram.
She announced her participation in Miss Universe on the social media platform earlier this week.
The 73rd Miss Universe pageant will be held in Mexico on a date that has yet to be announced.
"Honored to participate in Miss Universe 2024. This is the first participation of Saudi Arabia in the Miss Universe competition," she posted in Arabic.
No stranger to pageantry, Rumy previously held the titles Miss Saudi Arabia, Miss Arab Peace, Miss Planet Saudi Arabia, Miss Europe Saudi Arabia, Miss Asia Saudi Arabia, among others.
UPDATE: The Miss Universe Organization (MUO) released an official statement on Monday, April 1 to clarify that "no selection process has been conducted in Saudi Arabia, and any such claims are false and misleading."
Photos: Rumy Alqahtani / Instagram