SANYA, China – Spain’s Mireia Lalaguna Royo has been named the winner of the Miss World 2015 competition in the southern Chinese island resort of Sanya.
The win followed a lengthy competition dogged by controversy over China’s refusal to allow Canada’s entrant to attend.
READ MORE: Miss World Canada denied entry to China for pageant
Sofia Nikitchuk of Russia was the runner-up and Indonesia’s Maria Harfanti took third place in Saturday night’s final.
Not present was Miss Canada, Chinese-born Anastasia Lin, who’d been prevented from boarding her connecting flight to Sanya from Hong Kong last month after China refused her a visa on arrival.
READ MORE: Canadian Miss World contestant testifies on religious persecution in China
Lin is an outspoken critic of Chinese religious policy and a follower of the Falun Gong meditation practice, which was outlawed by China in 1999.
The first Miss World contest was held 64 years ago in Britain.
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