Tension erupted anew within the Miss Universe Organization (MUO) after its pageant host organization led by Nawat Itsaragrisil brought Thai police officers to confiscate merchandise and other promotional materials carrying the name of a Philippine-based online gaming platform.
Nawat is the franchise owner of Miss Universe-Thailand, which is in charge of the promotional activities and organizing the country’s hosting of the 74th edition of the global pageant. He is also the founder of another international pageant, the Miss Grand International.
In a statement, Miss Universe-Thailand said its mother organization promoted Playtime as one of its sponsors associated with online casinos, which is illegal in Thailand.
‘Following the recent incident during the 74th Miss Universe Thailand event, it has come to our attention that the [MUO] has promoted one of its sponsors associated with online casinos, an activity that is strictly illegal under Thai law,’ read the statement.
‘As the official host of the 74th Miss Universe Thailand, Miss Grand International Public [Co. Ltd.] hereby clarifies that the Company has no involvement whatsoever with such activities or any form of publicity related to online casinos. The said promotion was carried out solely by the [MUO].’
Cuban pageant content creator Luis Portelles claimed the Thai police barged into the hotel where the Miss Universe candidates were staying. It was MUO that brought in the Filipino company that operates Playtime, a PAGCOR-licensed online casino, as the pageant’s ‘official journey partner.’
Various promotional campaigns between the company and MUO have been posted on both parties’ social media pages as early as October, but Nawat did not raise any concerns back then.
Nawat vs Rocha Another source of controversy was the arrival of a makeup team in Bangkok sent by MUO president Raul Rocha, but without Nawat’s knowledge. The Thai organizers had already tapped an official makeup sponsor to handle the pageant’s requirements for the duration of the competition.
Rocha’s Legacy Holdings in Mexico holds half of the organization’s stake. The other half is still with Bangkok-based JKN Group of erstwhile MUO CEO Anne Jakrajutatip, who stepped down in June following an issue with the Thailand Securities and Exchange Commission.
Before his acquisition of half of MUO, Rocha was a rookie in the pageant industry. His first staging of the Miss Universe pageant in his home country of Mexico last year was heavily panned by observers.
When Jakrajutatip left MUO, problems within the organization began coming into light.
This became evident on November 2 when candidates started to arrive in Bangkok.
Social media pageant page Critical Beauty reported that MUO barred content creators and vloggers from covering pageant activities and following delegates until Nov. 17.
But Nawat issued his own clarification and designated another coordinator to handle members of the media and online content creators, different from the one initially assigned by MUO.
Barbed quips
Tension further escalated when a video of Nawat scoring the MUO for its supposed inability to mount an international event began making the rounds of social media.
‘They don’t know how to run a pageant. I already told them! If they give me the passwords, I’d help post. But they’re so protective of everything and doing nothing,’ he said in Thai when he was asked by a netizen why the Miss Universe pageant’s official social media pages have not been very active in posting updates.
‘Just let them be. Everything has to be asked. [That] is the problem, that everything has to be asked of Mr Raul [Rocha], Regina. Can’t even find him. Where is the social media department? They are not active at all. But we won’t following up with them anymore. We’re done giving advice. Now we’ll take the lead,’ he further said, referring to Regina Sotres, who is MUO’s social media manager.
Nawat’s outburst came after the MUO released a statement declaring his online voting for a special dinner is not an authorized activity sanctioned by the organization.
The Thai organizing committee shot back at MUO and said it holds ‘the rights to manage and execute such promotional activities within our territory’ as the host organization.
Rocha, for his part, threw shade at Nawat in his personal social media account and posted an image of the significant stock market price drop of Miss Grand International Public Co. Ltd.
Thai connection
Earlier this year, Nawat took on the task of being on top of Thailand’s hosting of the Miss Universe pageant this year, after he secured a five-year license to select the country’s Miss Universe delegate, from 2025 to 2029. Jakrajutatip was fully behind the movement back then. Mario Bucaro has stepped in to succeed her as CEO by the end of October, or more than four months since Jakajutatip vacated the post.
This is the fourth time that Thailand is hosting the Miss Universe pageant, but the first time for Nawat and MGI to organize the competition.
The last time the country hosted the Miss Universe pageant was in 2018 when Catriona Gray won the crown for the Philippines. The staging and the entire run of the competition in Thailand drew praise from pageant fans. It was mounted by TPN Group, the Thai licensee of Miss Universe before Nawat snagged the franchise.
Reigning queen Victoria Kjær Theilvig is set to crown her successor at the Impact Challenger Hall in Nonthaburi, northwest of Bangkok, on Nov. 21.
Ahtisa Manalo, who hails from Quezon, is representing the Philippines in the competition, and is hoping to bring home the country’s fifth Miss Universe crown.