MY EARLY FAVOURITES

A year ago, national beauties from around the world were already packed and getting ready to depart for the Miss Universe pageant in Vietnam. This year, the pageant is a month later.

If memory serves me correctly, the only other time that the pageant was held in August was in 1964 when the pageant was held on the 1st of August. At that time, the usual time slot for the pageant was the last week of July. The pageant didn't move from July until 1987 when the pageant moved to May.

In any event, although it is still to early to name my favourites for the title, it isn't too early to start short-listing my current favourites from the available list. With about 15 contestants yet to be named, my list of favourites will change during the run-up to the pageant.

Whilst I'm not too obsessed with the notion of "powerhouse" countries, what I do take into consideration is the amount of time and effort that certain countries put into preparing their contestants for the pageant. As I have said before, Venezuela generally sends contestants that are in line with my idea of what a beauty queen should be.

I find it amusing that certain national organisations place so much emphasis on preparing their contestants intellectually. Yes, personality and intellect do play a part at the pageant and the interview does count one-third of the final score, but let's be honest when the pageant is over, the winner plays the traditional beauty queen role and is merely "eye candy" to make the sponsors and other parties involved look good at public functions.

To be fair, I'm going to apply my standard continental splits of 5 each from the Americas, Europe and the rest of the world. I honestly believe that based purely on "universal appeal" and contestant preparation, the Americas should receive a higher quota, but due to political and social pressure from certain quarters, the make-up of the Final 15 is specifically "designed" to be more inclusive.

I'm also convinced that if it wasn't due to the aforementioned "design", a number of former semi-finalists would never in a million years have made the Top 15 if judging took only "universal appeal" into consideration. My quota for "the rest of the world" includes at least one contestant from Africa, Central Asia and Asia Pacific.

The lists that follow are based on my impression of contestants as seen in available photographs. Obviously a number of photographs have been touched-up and photoshopped, and candid photographs of the contestants once they arrive at the pageant would be a more accurate representation of their physical "worth".

I am not going to attempt to predict the actual Top 15 (well Top 27 for now) as there are so many other factors that are taken into account at the pageant. My favourite contestants are the ones I would name as semi-finalists given the aforementioned framework within which I would work.

AMERICAS

Bahamas, Brazil, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, USA, Venezuela

EUROPE

Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Iceland, Poland, Serbia, Ukraine

AFRICA

Angola, South Africa, Tanzania

ASIA

India, Lebanon, Turkey

ASIA PACIFIC

Australia, Japan, Philippines