In a speech on stage during the competition, Sandhu urged the youth to “stop comparing yourself to others to know that you are unique and that is what makes you beautiful.
“I believed in myself and that’s why I stand here today,” she said.
The competition was held in the resort town of Elliot, with 80 women from around the world competing for the crown. Sunday night was the last day of competition, with the number of finalists being reduced until the last two.
Paraguay’s Nadia Ferreira and South Africa’s Lalela Maswane were the first and second runners-up respectively.
The contest was hosted by comedian Steve Harvey, who asked Sandhu one time in the night, “I hear you do some cool animal impersonations, let’s hear our best.”
Harvey was later criticized online as many suggested it was an inappropriate question.
“Oh my god, Steve, I wasn’t expecting to do this on the world stage. I have to do it, I have no other choice. Brace yourself, everyone,” she wondered before performing some meow. Having said.
In the subsequent Q&A session, when Sandhu reached the top 5, she took the opportunity to spread a message on climate change. “It’s time to take action and talk less,” she said. “Preventing and protecting is better than repenting and repairing.”
After announcing his victory, he celebrated with other contestants on stage in front of a camera shouting, “Chak de phatte India,” a Punjabi exclamation meaning “Let’s do this, India!”
This year’s pageant marks the second Covid-era Miss Universe pageant. Israel’s borders were set to open to vaccinated tourists ahead of this year’s main event, allowing thousands of fans to attend.
But with the emergence of the new Omicron version, the Israeli government closed its borders to foreigners two weeks before the competition, throwing travel plans and preparations into chaos. One contestant, Miss France, tested positive for the virus upon landing in Israel and had to be quarantined – dropping out in time for the preliminary competition on Friday.
The pageant was wrapped in another layer of political controversy, with some critics and countries calling for a boycott – as had been the case with previous international events held in Israel.
The South African government withdrew its support and called on Maswane to leave, citing Israeli treatment of Palestinians, calling it “apartheid”, a charge strongly denied by Israel. But Misseven – with the support of the Miss South Africa organization – opted to travel to Israel and compete.
Celebrities including Miss Israel, Noah Kochwa, among others, responded to a common saying heard from pageant organizers and contestants: Miss Universe doesn’t have to be about politics.
According to a spokesman for Israel’s Ministry of Tourism, Israel was one of the first countries to begin vaccinating its population and had reached a high vaccination rate by May of this year, when the country was approached about hosting the December competition. Was.
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