As India gears up to play host for Miss World for the second time, lets take a trip down the memory lane when the country hosted the coveted international pageant for the first time in 1996. The 46th edition of Miss World, held 28 years ago, saw 88 contestants from all over the world compete for the crown in India.
The 1996 edition was also special as Irene Skliva from Greece won the crown for her country for the first time and still remains the only Greek woman to be crowned Miss World. the 46th edition of Miss World saw debuts from Bonaire, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia.
This was also the first edition where the pageant got internet coverage with Miss World launching its official website and the fans got a chance to know about their favourite candidates with portraits and news updates. With Aishwarya Rai winning the Miss World crown for India in 1994, the fans in India showed peak interest in pageantry.
The pageant began with introduction of candidates in Delhi and then a trip to Seychelles for pre-pageant activities. The finale was held in Bangalore with a huge production as the show was watched by over 1 billion people all over the world.
The hosts for the finale show were Richard Steinmetz and Ruby Bhatia while Zee Tv and E! were the broadcasters for Miss World. Colombia’s Carolina Arango and Brazil’s Anuska Valéria Prado were adjudged as the first and second runners-up respectively.
India will host the upcoming edition of Miss World which will be held at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai, India on 9th March 2024 where Karolina Bielawska of Poland will crown her successor at the end of the event finale.