MISS UNIVERSE 2002

Miss Universe 2002
Date: 29 May 2002
Presenters: Phil Simms, Daisy Fuentes and Brook Lee
Entertainment: Marc Anthony
Venue: Roberto Clemente Coliseo
Broadcaster: CBS
Entrants: 75
Placements: 10
Debuts: Albania, China
Winner: Oxana Fedorova
Represented: Russia
Congeniality: Merlisa Rhonda George
U. S. Virgin Islands
Photogenic: Isis Marie Casalduc
Puerto Rico

Countries and territories which sent delegates and results.The Miss Universe 2002 pageant was held in Coliseo Roberto Clemente, San Juan, Puerto Rico on May 29, 2002. There were 75 delegates from around the world who competed for the title Miss Universe 2002.　Oxana Fedorova from Russia was crowned Miss Universe 2002 by Miss Universe 2001, Denise Quiñones of Puerto Rico.　On September 23, 2002, Fedorova was dethroned and replaced by her first runner-up Justine Pasek of Panama.

Results Placements
The Miss Universe title was won by Oxana Fedorova of Russia (later dethroned)
The runners-up were:
1st runner-up - Justine Pasek (Panama)
2nd runner-up - Zhuo Ling (China)
3rd runner-up - Vanessa Carreira (South Africa)
4th runner-up - Cynthia Lander Zamora (Venezuela)
The Top 10 (in order of final placement): Natascha Börger (Germany), Demetra Eleftheriou (Cyprus), Anisa Kospiri (Albania), Neha Dhupia (India), Neelam Verma (Canada)
Special awards
Photogenic: Isis Marie Casalduc (Puerto Rico)
Congeniality: Merlisa Rhonda George (US Virgin Islands)
National Costume: Vanessa Mendoza (Colombia)
Best in Swimsuit: Oxana Fedorova (Russia)

Final competition scores
Country Swimsuit Evening Gown
Russia 9.88 9.64
Panama 8.79 8.92
China 8.88 9.15
South Africa 8.90 8.79
Venezuela 9.29 8.83
Germany 8.81 8.84
Cyprus 9.15 8.49
Albania 8.34 8.51
India 8.32 8.10
Canada 7.99 8.39

Contestants
Albania - Anisa Kospiri
Angola - Giovana Pinto Leite
Antigua and Barbuda - Aisha Ralph
Aruba - Deyanira Ludwina Frank
Australia - Sarah Davies
Bahamas - Nadia Albury
Belgium - Ann van Elsen
Bolivia - Paola Clarisse Coimbra Antipieff
Brazil - Josiane Oliveira
British Virgin Islands - Anastasia Tonge
Bulgaria - Elina Georgirva
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
Curacao - Ayanette Mary-Ann Statia
Cyprus - Demetra Eleuftheriou
Czech Republic - Diana Kobzanova
Dominican Republic - Ruth Ocumarez
Ecuador - Isabel Ontaneda-Pinto
Egypt - Sally Shaheen
El Salvador - Elisa Sandoval Rodriguez
Estonia - Jana Tafenau
Finland - Janette Broman
France - Sylvie Tellier
Germany - Natascha Borger
Ghana - Stephanie Walkins-Fia
Greece - Lena Paparrigopoulou
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
Kenya - Julie Njeru
Korea - Min-Kyoung Kim
Malaysia - Karen Lit Eit Ang
Mauritius - Karen Alexandre
Mexico - Ericka Cruz Escalante
Namibia - Michelle Heitha
Netherlands - Kim Kotter
Nicaragua - Marianela Larayu Mendoza
Nigeria - Chinenye Ochuba
Northern Mariana Islands - Virginia Gridley
Norway - Hege Hatlo
Panama - Justine Lissette Pasek
Peru - Adriana Zubiate
Philippines - Karen Loren Agustín
Poland - Joanna Dozdrowska
Portugal - Iva Catarina Lamarao
Puerto Rico - Isis Casalduc Gonzales
Russia - Oxana Fedorova
Singapore - Nuraliza Osman
Slovakia - 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
U.S. Virgin Islands - Merlisa Rhonda George
Venezuela - Cynthia Lander Zamora
FR Yugoslavia - Sladjana Bozovic

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. This format of the parade would continue until 2005, although from 2003-2005, the delegates did not wear their national costumes during the parade.
Albania and the People's Republic of China debuted at this year's edition, and both also made it to the semi-finals for the first time.
Cyprus was called out to the semi-finals for the first time.
Russia, Venezuela, and India were also called out to the semi-finals in 2001.
Germany was last called out to the semi-finals in 1989, Panama in 1997, and both South Africa and Canada in 2000.
Vania Millan Miras of Spain winner of Miss Spain 2002 title, but was a replacement of Lorena Van Heerde Ayala winner of Miss Spain 2001.
Seven delegates who withdrew from the Miss Universe 2002 pageant. They were: Karen Russell (Belize), Angelina Patricia Pingkan Sondakh (Indonesia), Christina Sawaya (Lebanon), Loredana Zammit (Malta), María Gabriela Riquelme Escuna (Paraguay), Bernice Gumbs (St. Maarten) and Euwonka Selver (Turks and Caicos). Sawaya of Lebanon would go on and claim the Miss International crown in the latter part of the year.
Sarah Davies of Australia went on to compete in Miss World 2004 in Sanya, China. She finished as 5th runner up in Miss World 2004.
Christina Sawaya from (Lebanon) withdrew because she did not want to compete in the same pageant with Miss Israel
This was the year that there was a high number of black representatives. A number of nations sent a black woman for the first time in their country's history. These countries were: Colombia (big favorite for the crown), Dominican Republic (another big favorite of the local media), Mexico, and Sweden. The USA was also represented by a black woman that year. Ironically, none of the black representatives made the 10 that year, resulting in the creation of the term the 2002 Blackout.
Many of the favorites that year failed to make the cut. They were Puerto Rico (the local rep), Colombia (favorite to win the crown), Dominican Republic (favorite of the Puerto Rican media), Ghana (barely missed the Top 10 and placed 12th overall in the preliminaries), Jamaica, Netherlands (barely missed the Top 10 and placed 11th overall in the preliminaries), and Nigeria (Top 10 Finalist in Miss World later that year).
This was the third time in the history of Miss Universe, that the USA failed to make the semis.
Natascha Borger of Germany would go on and win Top Model of the World 2002 in Germany. Also, she would go on and win Miss Baltic Sea 2003 in Finland.

NEWS:Russia's dethroned Miss Universe committed to a career in the police, was quoted as saying Wednesday she had performed her duties diligently but had been misled over the scale of the title holder's job.
Oxana Fedorova, replaced by Miss Panama in a New York ceremony, told the tabloid daily Komsomolskaya Pravda that she had been astonished at U.S. press reports that she had been lazy, capricious and unworthy of the title.
"There is not a grain of truth in this ... I gave up the title voluntarily. Such are my personal circumstances," Fedorova told the daily in a front-page article entitled "Patriot or Flighty Woman?"
"Before I won, no one told me anything about the conditions of the contract. I never thought there would be so many commitments. And I never had any intention of abandoning my university work. So I told the organizers that I had to go home and of course they couldn't wait months for me to come back."
Fedorova, 24, is to defend a thesis on private security companies at St. Petersburg's Interior Ministry Police University later this year. The daily also quoted an Interior Ministry official as saying she had recently been named a police captain.
She told Komsomolskaya Pravda that as Miss Universe she had demonstrated her commitment in helping AIDS ( news - web sites) victims.
"I worked hard and honestly. My conscience is clear. And I even have a small victory for my efforts," she said.
"After an event in Kenya in support of AIDS victims, the local government allocated $250,000 to tackle the problem. Before, it had closed its eyes to it."
She also said she had to care for her ailing grandfather. Her friends and relatives, she said, had backed her decision.
Fedorova's removal was the first in the history of the pageant. Organizers said she had failed to carry out her responsibilities, while press reports suggested she had gained weight, married or become pregnant.
She said future competitors would have to decide whether they wanted to work as models.
"I did when I was 17. Now I work in the Interior Ministry and I'm proud of it," she told the daily.
A school friend told Komsomolskaya Pravda the ousted beauty queen had a dark-haired boyfriend who was a "big businessman."
Fyodorov was coy about suggestions he was wealthy.
"Is that so?" she said. "I can't say, I really can't say."

By noon yesterday, newly crowned Miss Universe ( news - web sites) Justine Pasek had already put in a full day of heavy lifting. Donald Trump had just slapped a skull-crushing, $250,000 diamond-and-pearl tiara on the Panamanian beauty's highlighted head - having wrestled the monster from the Russian gal he'd fired for being a spoiled brat.
So there I was, walking across Central Park South, in search of some kind of lunch that might agree with the reed-thin Mistress of the Universe. And her shoes.
Such shoes! It hurt me just to look at them, these tan, Roberto Cavalli sky-high sandals, which forced the poor girl to walk on the points of her toes like some sadomasochistic ballerina.
Worse, she was hungry.
"Can we have a hot dog?" she asked her manager, Roston Ogata, who steered her safely to a salted pretzel. Justine, 23, who looked as if she hadn't digested since 1999, glared at the baked item as suspiciously as one might eye a street-vended Prada handbag. Then she devoured it.
Justine's elevation from runner-up to reigning interplanetary beauty queen apparently settled the pageant world's equivalent of a military coup. Crowned Miss Universe in May, Russia's Oxana Federova preferred hanging with her boyfriend to making public appearances.
Much worse, she gained 15 pounds!
In this racket, pounds cost money. Oxana was canned and Justine was ready.
As Miss Universe, she gets a salary - pro-rated due to her shortened reign - yearlong use of a Manhattan apartment, clothes, shoes, watches, a $45,000 scholarship to the School for Film and Television and a $20,000 tiara she can keep.
Did I mention the shoes?