Miss Universe 2002
Miss Universe 2002, the 51st Miss Universe pageant, was held on 29 May 2002 at the Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico. 75 delegates competed in this year. Oxana Fedorova of Russia was crowned by Denise Quiñones of Puerto Rico as her successor at the end of the event. Fedorova was dethroned four months later[1] and 1st runner-up Justine Pasek of Panama took over the Miss Universe title.
Miss Universe 2002 | |
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![]() Justine Pasek of Panama, Miss Universe 2002 | |
Date | 29 May 2002 |
Presenters | |
Entertainment | Marc Anthony |
Venue | Coliseo Roberto Clemente, San Juan, Puerto Rico |
Broadcaster | CBS |
Entrants | 75 |
Placements | 10 |
Debuts | |
Withdrawals | |
Returns | |
Winner | Justine Pasek ![]() Oxana Fedorova ![]() |
Congeniality | Merlisa George ![]() |
Best National Costume | Vanessa Mendoza ![]() |
Photogenic | Isis Casalduc ![]() |
To date, the 2002 pageant is the only time the 1st runner-up has assumed the title when the reigning Miss Universe became incapable of fulfilling her duties, as explained in the disclaimer traditionally read out by hosts before announcing the winner in the live show. The official reason for Fedorova's dethronement has not been disclosed by the Miss Universe Organization. This was the last Miss Universe show to be aired on CBS. Beginning with the next Miss Universe pageant, NBC assumed co-ownership of the pageant along with Donald Trump, and as a result began televising the pageant.
Results
Placements
Final results | Contestant |
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Miss Universe 2002 |
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1st Runner-Up |
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2nd Runner-Up |
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3rd Runner-Up |
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4th Runner-Up | |
Top 10 |
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Final Competition Score
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Order of announcements
Top 10
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Top 5
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Contestants



Albania - Anisa Kospiri
Angola - Giovana Leite
Antigua and Barbuda - Aisha Ralph
Aruba - Deyanira Frank
Australia - Sarah Davies
Bahamas - Nadia Albury
Belgium - Ann van Elsen
Bolivia - Paola Coimbra
Brazil - Josiane Oliveira
British Virgin Islands - Anastasia Tonge
Bulgaria - Elina Georgieva
Canada - Neelam Verma
Cayman Islands - Shannon McLean
Chile - Nicole Rencoret Ladrón de Guevara
China - Zhuo Ling
Colombia - Vanessa Mendoza
Costa Rica - Merilyn Villalta
Croatia - Ivana Paris
Curaçao - Ayanette Statia
Cyprus - Demetra Eleftheriou
Czech Republic - Diana Kobzanová
Dominican Republic - Ruth Ocumárez
Ecuador - Isabel Ontaneda-Pinto
Egypt - Sally Shaheen
El Salvador - Elisa Sandoval
Estonia - Jana Tafenau
Finland - Janette Broman
France - Sylvie Tellier
Germany - Natascha Börger
Ghana - Stephanie Walkins-Fia
Greece - Lena Paparigopoulou
Guatemala - Carina Velasquez
Guyana - Mia Rahaman
Honduras - Erika Ramirez
Hungary - Edit Friedl
India - Neha Dhupia
Ireland - Lisa O'Sullivan
Israel - Yamit Har-Noy
Italy - Anna Rigon
Jamaica - Sanya Hughes
Japan - Mina Chiba (ja)
Kenya - Julie Njeru
Korea - Kim Min-kyoung
Malaysia - Karen Lit Eit Ang
Mauritius - Karen Alexandre
Mexico - Ericka Cruz
Namibia - Michelle Heitha
Netherlands - Kim Kötter - placed 11th
Nicaragua - Marianela Lacayo
Nigeria - Chinenye Ochuba
Northern Marianas - Virginia Gridley
Norway - Hege Hatlo
Panama - Justine Pasek
Peru - Adriana Zubiate
Philippines - Karen Loren Agustín
Poland - Joanna Dozdrowska
Portugal - Iva Catarina Lamarao
Puerto Rico - Isis Casalduc
Russia - Oxana Fedorova
Singapore - Nuraliza Osman
Slovak Republic - Eva Dzodlova
Slovenia - Iris Mulej
South Africa - Vanessa Carreira
Spain - Vania Millan
Sweden - Malou Hansson
Switzerland - Jennifer Ann Gerber
Thailand - Janjira Janchome
Trinidad and Tobago - Nasma Mohammed
Turkey - Cagla Kubat
Ukraine - Liliana Gorova
Uruguay - Fiorella Fleitas
USA - Shauntay Hinton
US Virgin Islands - Merlisa George
Venezuela - Cynthia Lander
Yugoslavia - Slađana Božović
Notes
Returns
Replacements
Spain - The winner of Miss España 2001 pageant, Lorena Ayala cut all ties with the Miss España organization and lost the right to representing Spain in any international pageant after a threat of lawsuit against the Miss España Organization by her family side due to breaching her contract with the organization, then they replaced her with the new Miss España 2002, Vania Millán by the Miss Universe Organization's request.[2][3]
Withdrawals
Argentina - No contest due to the Argentinian economic crisis of 2001.
Belize - Karen Russell - Lack of Sponsorship, went to Miss World 2002.
Botswana - No contest until 2004.
Great Britain - Yana Booth
Hong Kong - Shirley Yeung - the Miss Hong Kong pageant lost their Miss Universe licence in 2001 due to lack of interest.
Lebanon - Christina Sawaya, Miss Lebanon 2001 withdrew because she supported the Second Intifada and started that she couldn't compete with Miss Israel 2002, Yamit Har-Noy at the pageant. She took part at Miss International 2002 in the latter part of the year and won the crown.
Malta - Loredana Zammit - The Miss Malta organization lost their Miss Universe licence that year.
Mayotte - Attempted to obtain a MU license. Denied. Winner of the Miss Mayotte pageant competes in Miss France.
New Zealand - No contest.
Paraguay - María Gabriela Riquelme Escuna - The Miss Paraguay organization lost their Miss Universe licence.
St. Maarten - Bernice Gumbs - Lack of Sponsorship
Taiwan R.O.C. - No contest.
Turks and Caicos - Euwonka Selver - She was destroned few weeks before leaving for the pageant and the organization didn't remplace her.
Other countries with Miss Universe licence that didn't send delegates that year:
Barbados - The Pageant was postponed until December.[4]
Cook Islands - The contest was postponed several times until the Summer.
Denmark
Guam
Iceland - Lack of Sponsorship.
Mozambique - Lost their Miss Universe licence.
Vietnam - The Contest was delayed until the middle of 2003.
Zimbabwe - The Miss Universe Zimbabwe pageant decided to stop being held due to the current Zimbabwe economic and political crisis since 2000.
Awards
US Virgin Islands - Miss Congeniality (Merlisa George)
Puerto Rico - Miss Photogenic (Isis Casalduc)
Colombia - Best National Costume (Vanessa Mendoza)
Other notes
- The Parade of Nations was conducted outdoors in the streets of Old San Juan for the first time and the delegates all wore their national costumes and presented in alphabetical order. This format of the parade would continue until 2005, although from 2003 to 2005, the delegates did not wear their national costumes during the parade.
- Josiane Oliveira of Brazil was dethroned after Big Brother Brasil. The local organization discovered that she was married. The 2002 Miss Brazil 1st runner-up took over the title just two months before passing the crown to her successor.
General references
- West, Donald (ed.). "Miss Universe 2002". pageantopolis.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012.
References
- "New Miss Universe Crowned". CNN. September 24, 2002. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
- "Los padres de Lorena Van Heerde denuncian a la organización de Miss España por impago". HOLA USA. April 5, 2002.
- "Lorena Van Heerde: 'Aunque habían enviado mi documentación a Miss Universo, sabían que no pensaba ir'". HOLA USA. April 11, 2002.
- http://www.bellezavenezolana.net/news/2003/cdic02.htm