Thai pageant director insists 6 nations, including S’pore, remain eligible for Miss Universe 2026

BANGKOK – Thai pageant director Nawat Itsaragrisil has rejected a move to exclude Thailand and five other South-east Asian countries from Miss Universe 2026, insisting that their delegates remain entitled to compete in Puerto Rico, the venue of the pageant in November.

His comments came after a statement, issued in the name of Miss Universe Organization (MUO), said franchise agreements involving Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia and Singapore were not recognised by JKN Universe and that their delegates would therefore be ineligible for the 75th Miss Universe pageant.

Nawat, chief executive of Miss Universe Eastern, told a press conference on Sept 18 that all six delegates would travel to San Juan in Puerto Rico, and maintained that the exclusion notice had no legal effect.

He argued that such a major decision would require approval through the company’s governance structure and could not, in his view, be imposed unilaterally.

MU East disputes exclusion notice

MU East separately issued a formal statement on Sept 18, saying JKN Universe, which does business as MUO, operates under an equal 50-50 ownership structure between MU East and MU West through JKN Legacy.

MU East said it had neither reviewed nor approved the earlier statement and maintained that it did not represent the agreed position of both owners.

It also cited the Hemisphere Agreement, saying MU East has exclusive rights to operate, promote and develop the Miss Universe brand across 95 Eastern territories and to appoint and manage franchise partners within those territories.

MU East said it maintains the contractual right to send eligible delegates from Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia and Singapore to the international pageant and does not accept that valid franchise agreements can be cancelled through a unilateral public statement.

Nawat said the dispute represented a breach of the Hemisphere Agreement and argued that neither side had authority to act beyond the territorial and governance arrangements set out in the contract.

Legal action threatened

He also raised questions over financial and contractual arrangements surrounding the Puerto Rico event. Those allegations have not been independently established and remain part of an escalating dispute between the two sides.

He said legal advisers had reviewed the relevant documents on Sept 15 and 16 and gave the opposing side seven days, until midnight on Sept 25 Thailand time (1am Singapore time), to provide clarification and resolve the dispute.

If no progress is made, he said the matter would be referred to international lawyers in New York for further legal action. He also said proceedings could involve courts in Delaware and New York.

Nawat says Miss Universe Thailand 2026 will compete

Nawat told pageant fans to preserve copies of the disputed statements as possible evidence for future legal proceedings.

Asked whether he personally would attend the competition in Puerto Rico, he said he would not, but insisted the contestants would.

“I am not going, but the contestants are definitely going,” he said, expressing confidence that Puerto Rico would welcome the delegates appropriately.

Tharina Botes was crowned Miss Universe Thailand 2026 in August and is Thailand’s designated representative for the international competition.

The dispute therefore leaves the participation of the six delegates contested between the two sides of the Miss Universe ownership structure, with MU East maintaining that they remain eligible while the earlier JKN Universe statement declared their franchise arrangements invalid. THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK