Russia banned from entering Miss Supranational: "We cannot condone the actions of the Kremlin'

The upcoming Miss Supranational pageant will be missing one major country. Officials have announced that they will not accept a contestant from Russia.

The move is in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. According to The Guardian, more than one million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the invasion. 

The president of the Miss Supranational released a statement this week condemning Russia's attack on Ukraine. 

"We are joining the EU, countries around the world, sports federations, cultural events and the people around the world who choose to stand up for freedom and unity. We will not accept a contestant from Russia as we cannot condone the actions of the Kremlin," Gerhard Parzutka von Lipinski said. 

Von Lipinski also explained why the pageant has decided to stand with Ukraine. 

"Ukraine has been a very special part of the Supra Family since the beginning of our competition in 2009 when Oksana Moria won the very first title in Poland."

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Many have applauded the organsation's decision. "Great job for standing with Ukraine, mso! hoping others will follow," one Instagram user wrote.

Another commented: "Good move." But not everyone agreed with the decision.

"Do you really think that it’s a good decision? Are the Russian beautify pageant organizations related to political issues? You talk about unity but with this action, you segregate. Remember that you support and let other organizations participate without checking out where they get their profit such as Venezuela. The veto should be for the EU and other countries which have let Ukraine alone," one Instagram user commented. 

Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane will be participating in this year's Supranational pageant. The ceremony is expected to take place in Poland in July. 

Lalela is one of the favourites ahead of the competition. The  Richards Bay beauty represented South Africa at the 70th Miss Universe pageant held in December 2021. She was named the second runner-up.

Miss SA officials are hoping that Lalela once again brings "pride to the country".

“We are super excited about this year’s edition of Miss Supranational and that Lalela will represent us at this prestigious event. We once again call on all South Africans to show their support and we believe she will make us all proud," Miss SA CEO Stephanie Weil said in a statement. 

ALSO READ: Miss SA explains why Lalela Mswane is going to Miss Supranational and not the runners-up

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Main image credit: iStock/JadeThaiCatwalk