Miss Universe 1973

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Miss Universe 1973
Margarita Moran
Date21 July 1973[a]
PresentersBob Barker
VenueOdeon of Herodes Atticus, Athens, Greece
BroadcasterCBS (international)
EIRT (official broadcaster)
Entrants61
Placements12
DebutsCyprus
Withdrawals
Returns
WinnerMargarita Moran
Philippines
CongenialityJeanette Robertson (Chile)
Best National CostumeMaría del Rocío Martín (Spain)
PhotogenicMargarita Moran (Philippines)
← 1972
1974 →

Miss Universe 1973 was the 22nd Miss Universe pageant, held at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens, Greece, on 21 July 1973. This was the first Miss Universe event to be held in Europe.

At the conclusion of the event, Kerry Anne Wells of Australia crowned Margarita Moran of the Philippines as Miss Universe 1973. It is the second victory of the Philippines in the pageant's history.[1]

Contestants from sixty-one countries and territories participated in this year's pageant. The pageant was hosted by Bob Barker in his seventh consecutive year, while Helen O'Connell provided commentary and analysis throughout the event.

Background

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Location and date

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In February 1973, Puerto Rican government officials announced that they would be ending the $1 million contract to bring Miss Universe and Miss USA to the island until 1976.[2][3] Officials said the agreement was illegal, and Miss Universe President Harold Glasser said it was only a technical-legal nature. According to Glasser, the real reason the agreement was terminated was because "pageants are victims of political infighting" and pageant sponsors have remained neutral in the debate over Puerto Rico's political status. The pro-statehood administration of Gov. Luis A. Ferre signed the contract to sponsor the pageants, but an anti-statehood administration led by Gov. Rafael Hernandez Colon took office on January 2. Although the search for a venue for Miss Universe is still ongoing, the pageant will still push through on July 21, according to Glasser.[2]

On February 22, Miss Universe Inc. filed a $20 million USD damage suit against the government of Puerto Rico for canceling its contract to sponsor the competition for five years.[4][5]

On May 10, the Miss Universe Inc. announced that the 22nd edition would be held in Athens from July 11 to July 21.[6] According to Glasser and Chrysanthos Demetriadis, president of the Greek National Tourist Organization, the competition will be broadcast in more than 30 countries.[7][8]

Selection of participants

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Contestants from sixty-one countries and territories were selected to compete in the pageant.

Debuts, returns, and, withdrawals

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This edition saw the debut of Cyprus, and the returns of Ceylon, which last competed in 1970; and Lebanon, Nicaragua, Panama, and Trinidad and Tobago which last competed in 1971.[9]

Cyprianna Munnings of the Bahamas withdrew in order to join the celebration of her country's independence from the United Kingdom.[10] Katrin Gisladóttir of Iceland withdrew for health reasons.[11] Mary Núñez of Peru was not allowed by her government to participate due to the weak diplomatic relations with the United States and Peru.[12] Ecuador, Iraq, and Zaire withdrew from the competition after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or appoint a delegate.

Results

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Miss Universe 1973 participating countries and territories.

Placements

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Placement Contestant
Miss Universe 1973
1st runner-up
2nd runner-up
3rd runner-up
4th runner-up
Top 12

Special awards

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Award Contestant
Miss Photogenic
Miss Amity
  • Chile – Wendy Robertson
Best National Costume

Pageant

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Format

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Same with 1971, twelve semi-finalists were chosen at the preliminary competition that consists of the swimsuit and evening gown competition. The twelve semi-finalists participated in the casual interview, swimsuit, and evening gown competitions. Because the Greek Archaeological Society did not allow the candidates to parade in their swimsuits at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, this edition's swimsuit competition was held outside the odeon.[16][17] From twelve, five finalists were shortlisted to advance to the final interview.[18]

Selection committee

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Contestants

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Sixty-one contestants competed for the title.

Country/Territory Contestant Age[b] Hometown
Argentina Susana Romero[20] 20 Buenos Aires
Aruba Ethline Oduber[21] 18 Oranjestad
Australia Susan Mainwaring[22] 22 Brisbane
Austria Roswitha Kobald[23] 18 Styria
Belgium Christiane Devisch[24] 20 Antwerp
Bermuda Judy Richards[25] 19 Hamilton
Bolivia Roxana Sittic[26] 18 Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Brazil Sandra Mara Ferreira[27] 21 São Paulo
Canada Deborah Ducharme[28] 20 Ontario
Ceylon Shiranthi Wickremesinghe[29] 20 Badulla
Chile Jeanette Robertson[30] 18 Santiago
Colombia Ana Lucía Agudelo[31] 20 Valle del Cauca
Costa Rica Rosario Mora[32] 18 Alajuela
Curaçao Ingerborg Zielinski[33] 18 Willemstad
Cyprus Johanna Melaniodos[34] 18 Nicosia
Denmark Anette Grankvist[35] 20 Copenhagen
Dominican Republic Liliana Fernández 18 Salcedo
El Salvador Gloria Ivette Romero[36] – San Salvador
England Veronica Ann Cross[37] 23 London
Finland Raija Stark[38] 20 Helsinki
France Isabelle Krumacker[39] 18 Lorraine
Greece Vana Papadaki[40] 19 Athens
Guam Beatrice Benito 18 Agana
Holland Monique Borgeld[41] 23 Amsterdam
Honduras Nelly Suyapa González[42] 17 El Paraíso
Hong Kong Elaine Sung[43] 18 Hong Kong
India Farzana Habib[44] 18 New Delhi
Ireland Pauline Fitzsimons 20 Dublin
Israel Limor Schreibman[45] 19 Tel Aviv
Italy Antonella Barci[46] 18 Milan
Jamaica Reta Faye Chambers[47] 20 Saint James
Japan Miyoko Sometani 22 Ibaraki
Lebanon Marcelle Herro[48] 21 Beirut
Luxembourg Lydia Maes 18 Esch-sur-Alzette
Malaysia Margaret Loo[49] 19 Cheras
Malta Marthese Vigar 20 Msida
Mexico Rossana Villares[50] 18 Yucatán
New Zealand Pamela King[51] 20 Auckland
Nicaragua Ana Cecilia Saravia[52] 18 Leon
Norway Aina Walle[53] 20 Oslo
Panama Jeanine Lizuaín[54] 26 Panama City
Paraguay Teresita María Cano[55] 20 Concepción
Philippines Margarita Moran[56] 19 Manila
Portugal Carla Barros[57] 20 Lisbon
Puerto Rico Gladys Colón 18 Orocovis
Scotland Caroline Meade[58] 18 Glasgow
Singapore Debra de Souza[59] 19 Singapore
South Korea Kim Young-joo 18 Seoul
Spain Rocío Martín[60] 19 Seville
Suriname Yvonne Ma Ajong[61] 18 Paramaribo
Sweden Monica Sundin[62] 20 Stockholm
 Switzerland Barbara Schöttli[63] 19 Zürich
Thailand Kanok-orn Bunma 20 Chachoengsao
Trinidad and Tobago Camella King[64] 25 San Fernando
Turkey Yildiz Arhan[65] – Istanbul
United States Amanda Jones[66] 22 Evanston
United States Virgin Islands Cindy Richards[67] 19 Saint Croix
Uruguay Yolanda Ferrari[68] 21 Montevideo
Venezuela Desirée Rolando[69] 18 Carabobo
Wales Deirdre Greenland[70] 23 Newport
West Germany Dagmar Winkler[71] 18 Bavaria

Notes

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  1. ^ The event was televised live at 08:00 pm local time (UTC+02:00) in various broadcasters around the world. For the United States, it was tape delayed to make way for the primetime broadcast.
  2. ^ Ages at the time of the pageant

References

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  1. ^ "Miss Universe Title Won By Filipino Beauty Queen". Herald-Journal. July 22, 1973. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Pageant may move to Latin America". The Virgin Islands Daily News. 17 February 1973. p. 10. Retrieved 12 October 2025 – via Google News Archive.
  3. ^ "PR gets Miss Universe contest for five years". The Virgin Islands Daily News. 6 August 1971. pp. 1, 15. Retrieved 12 October 2025 – via Google News Archive.
  4. ^ "Damage suit". The Canberra Times. 23 February 1973. p. 5. Retrieved 12 October 2025 – via Trove.
  5. ^ ""Miss Universe" kost Pto. Rico meer dan half miljoen dollar". Amigoe di Curacao (in Dutch). 7 March 1973. p. 3. Retrieved 12 October 2025 – via Delpher.
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  10. ^ Darville, Felicity (6 June 2023). "FACE TO FACE: Patriotic, beautiful and proud to be Bahamian". Tribune 242. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  11. ^ "Hví ekki Island ?". Vísir (in Icelandic). 4 August 1973. p. 2. Retrieved 12 October 2025 – via Tímarit.is.
  12. ^ "Miss Perú: las peruanas más bellas de las últimas décadas". El Comercio Perú (in Spanish). 12 November 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Filipinas, Miss Universo; la colombiana, finalista" [Philippines, Miss Universe; the Colombian, finalist]. El Tiempo (in Spanish). 22 July 1973. p. 7. Retrieved 18 July 2023 – via Google News Archive.
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  26. ^ "Roxana, talento que trasciende". El Deber (in European Spanish). 6 June 2018. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  27. ^ Garcia, Manuel (16 July 2020). "#TBT: A história do concurso Miss Sorocaba". Cruzeiro do Sul (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 11 October 2025.
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  29. ^ Shauketaly, Faraz (6 October 2018). "Shiranthi Rajapaksa the next president of Sri Lanka in 2020?". Ceylon Independent. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  30. ^ "Atenas". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 18 July 1973. p. 1. Retrieved 11 October 2025 – via Google News Archive.
  31. ^ "Carolina, as de Cali en Buenaventura". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 20 June 1996. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  32. ^ "Rossy Mora Badilla fue electa anoche miss Costa Rica" [Rossy Mora Badilla was elected Miss Costa Rica last night]. La Nacion (in Spanish). 29 June 1973. p. 4. Retrieved 11 October 2025 – via Google News Archive.
  33. ^ "Getting to know Curacao". Deseret News. 10 March 2003. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  34. ^ "Beauties not bothered by politics". St. Joseph News-Press. 15 July 1973. pp. 1A. Retrieved 11 October 2025 – via Google Books.
  35. ^ "Shipmates". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 14 June 1973. p. 8. Retrieved 11 October 2025 – via Google Books.
  36. ^ "Ellas son las salvadoreñas que han destacado en los concursos de Miss Universo". El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). 10 February 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  37. ^ Foster, Paul (21 November 1973). "60 gorgeous girls". Evening Times. p. 8. Retrieved 11 October 2025 – via Google News Archive.
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  39. ^ Marsac, Manuela (29 November 2021). "Troisfontaines : les confidences d'Isabelle Krumacker, première Miss Lorraine élue Miss France en 1973, sur l'élection". Le Républicain Lorrain (in French). Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  40. ^ Lo, Ricky (22 August 2009). "The second Pinay Miss U". Philippine Star. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  41. ^ "Miss-parade op het scherm". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). 7 March 1973. p. 11. Retrieved 14 November 2023 – via Delpher.
  42. ^ "Elegida "Miss Honduras"" [Chosen "Miss Honduras"]. La Nacion (in Spanish). 29 June 1973. p. 26. Retrieved 11 October 2025 – via Google News Archive.
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  44. ^ "50 years of Miss India: Winners through the years". The Times of India. 25 March 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  45. ^ "Miss Israel is fourth". The Australian Jewish Times. 26 July 1973. p. 1. Retrieved 11 October 2025 – via Trove.
  46. ^ "Le due elette". Stampa Sera (in Italian). 4 September 1972. p. 7. Retrieved 11 October 2025 – via La Stampa.
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  48. ^ Ghaleb, Chloe (14 July 2020). "Miss Lebanon Throughout History In Pictures". 961. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
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  50. ^ Rodríguez, Yazmín (27 August 2015). "Detienen a Miss México 1973 por evasión fiscal". El Universal (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 12 December 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
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  54. ^ "Pigeon pal". Eugene Register-Guard. 18 July 1973. pp. 15A. Retrieved 4 July 2023 – via Google News Archive.
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  56. ^ Tayag, Voltaire (6 June 2019). "The Binibining Pilipinas legacy through the years". Rappler. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  57. ^ "As Misses não têm idade". Público (in Portuguese). 10 April 2010. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  58. ^ "Maureen Lipman ditches her 'dirty, rotten rat' lover over his". Evening Standard. 12 April 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
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  60. ^ Manzano, Aurelio (10 September 2014). "El tenso divorcio entre la ex Miss España Rocío Martín y el contertulio de laSexta". El Confidencial (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  61. ^ "Miss Suriname". Amigoe di Curacao (in Dutch). 5 June 1973. p. 3. Retrieved 11 October 2025 – via Delpher.
  62. ^ "Athene". Leeuwarder Courant (in Dutch). 12 July 1973. p. 7. Retrieved 11 October 2025 – via Delpher.
  63. ^ Denzel, Ralph (14 March 2018). "Warum Schaffhausen Stephen Hawking niemals gefallen hätte". Schaffhauser Nachrichten (in German). Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  64. ^ "61 beauties in final acts of queen race". Gettysburg Times. 21 July 1973. p. 3. Retrieved 11 October 2025 – via Google News Archive.
  65. ^ "Eski Türkiye güzeli Arhan Mavitan soyuldu". Ensonhaber (in Turkish). 2 November 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
  66. ^ "Illinois Beauty Is Miss USA". The Daily Nonpareil. Associated Press. May 20, 1973. p. 1. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  67. ^ "Miss Virgin Islands of 1973". The Virgin Islands Daily News. 3 April 1973. p. 1. Retrieved 11 October 2025 – via Google News Archive.
  68. ^ "Yolanda Ferrari, "Miss Uruguay"". La Nacion (in Spanish). 29 June 1973. p. 22. Retrieved 11 October 2025 – via Google News Archive.
  69. ^ Garcés, Ever (16 November 2022). "Miss Venezuela: Ni tan niñas, ni tan venezolanas…". Diario de Los Andes (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 October 2025.
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  71. ^ "Dagmar Wöhrl: Ihr Weg von der Misswahl ins Parlament". Nürnberger Nachrichten (in German). 4 September 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
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