The Miss World 2021 representative from Laos has come under fire for allegedly misrepresenting her age in order to compete in the global pageant.
The Miss World Laos 2021 competition took place on Wednesday night at Landmark Riverside Mekong Hotel, Vientiane Capital.
Miss Souphavady Phongsavanh was selected as the new Miss World Laos, becoming the representative for Laos at the Miss World 2021 pageant to be held in Puerto Rico in December this year.
After the announcement, however, a photograph of Souphavady’s government-issued identification card was leaked to social media, with her birth year listed as 1991, despite the contestant claiming to be only 26 years old.
Social media users began to comment about Miss Souphavady’s age, saying she should be disqualified for being over the age limit required to enter the contest.
Souphavady is no stranger to the rigors of beauty peagenats, having unsuccessfully competed in the Miss Aphone Laos pageant in 2008, when some say she was only 17 years of age.
Meanwhile, the president of the Miss World Laos 2021 competition, Saykeo Sidavong, has explained on the Miss World Laos 2021 page that the contest authorities are aware of the problem and have spoken with the relevant parties to find a solution.
The judges have now given Miss World Laos 2021 two weeks to provide evidence of her claims, said the president of the Miss World Laos 2021 content.
Miss Souphavady Phongsavanh is originally from Savannakhet Province but currently resides in Vientiane Capital. She studied at NUS Business School, National University of Singapore, and holds an honors degree in accountancy and financial accounting from the University of Portsmouth.
She graduated from Bangor University with a Masters of Business Administration in Banking and Finance.
