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Following her disqualification from the Miss Universe 2024 competition, Italy Mora broke her silence in an interview, sharing her perspective on the events leading up to the organizers' decision. The 19-year-old, who was set to represent Panama on November 16 in Mexico City, spoke out alongside her boyfriend, alleging economic irregularities and a lack of support from the National Director of Miss Panama, César Anel Rodríguez. Although it was initially announced that Italy would retain her Miss Universe Panama crown, her statements prompted the organization to strip her of the title officially.
"The Miss Panama Organization deeply regrets the disqualification of our contestant in the 73rd Miss Universe. This decision was made by the Miss Universe Organization after a thorough evaluation, which verified through security systems and the work team that our candidate was in a room other than the one assigned to her, accompanied by a person outside the pageant production, with no official makeup artists present," stated a social media announcement from the organization.
Addressing Italy's claims, the organization added, "We categorically deny any statements attempting to mislead the public about the reasons behind this decision. Before announcing her disqualification, all relevant verifications were made to ensure clarity and transparency in the process."
After Italy's disqualification was confirmed, César Anel went live to speak about her qualities, initially indicating she would keep her Miss Panama title. At that time, he refrained from discussing specifics of the incident at the hotel in Mexico City—a stance that shifted after Italy's interview with La Mordida.
Italy Mora Crown Revocation
"Failure to comply with the rules communicated to each candidate by the Miss Universe Organization led to our representative's disqualification. The Miss Panama Organization has always prioritized the candidate's integrity; however, due to repeated contract violations by the candidate, we regretfully announce the formal revocation of Italy Mora's title as Miss Universe Panama 2024," read the organization's final statement.
By Tuesday afternoon, Italy's coronation photos were removed from the social media accounts of Miss Panama and Miss Universe Panama, and the organizations unfollowed her. The only remnants of her participation are promotional posts and images featuring her alongside the current Miss Universe, Sheynnis Palacios.
Looking ahead, the organization concluded: "The Miss Panama Organization reaffirms its commitment to Miss Universe and will focus on selecting a new representative for Miss Universe 2025, who we trust will fulfill her responsibilities with dedication."
Italy Mora reacts to her disqualification
Although it's still being determined whether Italy Mora received direct notification of her dismissal, she posted a response on her Instagram Stories. "I stand firm in demanding from Miss Universe International a formal copy of my dismissal and the sanctions applied... I am NOT the first Miss Universe dismissed for speaking out about the rights violations and extortion faced by national and international organizations," she wrote alongside a photo from her August coronation.
Despite the turmoil surrounding the Miss Universe, the event will air on Telemundo on Saturday, November 16, with simultaneous broadcasts on Telemundo International and USA Network across Latin America.