Economic crisis proves costly for Miss Venezuela

<a href=www.orlandosentinel.com>Orlando SentinelFrom Wire reports Posted May 17, 2003

CARACAS, Venezuela -- The country that has won more major beauty pageants in recent years than any other won't be offering a candidate for Miss Universe for the first time in decades.

The Miss Venezuela Organization said Friday that the country's strict foreign-exchange controls, imposed amid a general strike earlier this year, haveprevented the group from obtaining the currency it needs to send a candidate to the June 3 pageant in Panama.

"The decision not to send Miss Venezuela to this prestigious international contest came after we exhausted all our efforts to send our usual and always distinguished representative," the organization said in a statement on its Web site. "But the serious political and economic crisis Venezuela is going through has posed an obstacle insurmountable for the moment."

The president of Miss Venezuela Organization, Osmel Sousa, said Tuesday that hisgroup needed $80,000 for the franchise fee to send Mariangel Ruiz, a tall, 23-year-old brunette, to Miss Universe. The organization has the money in the local bolivar currency buthas not been able to exchange themfor dollars.

Edgar Hernandez, the president of the government agency in charge of authorizing dollar sales, said he was not aware that the organization had applied for the dollars.

Hernandez said he was looking intothe matter and would consider granting the money if the organization submitted an application.

In the past 24 years, Miss Venezuela Organization's contestants have won the three most important international beauty contests 12 times.

Venezuela has won four Miss Universe crowns, five Miss World crowns and three Miss International titles.