19-year-old Italia Mora, Panama’s representative at Miss Universe 2024, has been disqualified and banned from the final on 16 November in Mexico City, Mexico. Although the organisers did not provide specific details, they said the decision was made after a thorough review by the disciplinary committee.
According to Italia Mora, the reason for her disqualification was an incident involving ‘leaving the room without permission’. This information was published by Hello! magazine.
The girl noted that she was informed of the decision to suspend her on 1 November, when she was preparing to attend the gala. According to her, the organisers recognised her actions as a violation of the contest rules.
The Disciplinary Committee stressed that this decision was made to uphold the values of the pageant and to respect all participants. Due to the confidentiality agreement, Miss Universe representatives limited themselves to general statements without disclosing the details of the incident.
Italia Mora later posted her version of events on Instagram, but later deleted the post. She regretted that the situation was not resolved peacefully, considering the disqualification an excessive punishment. Maura also denied rumours of conflicts with other participants and romantic encounters that could have led to her suspension.
César Anel Rodríguez, president of Senorita Panama Officional, weighed in on the situation, saying that he had been in talks with the Miss Universe organisation. He stressed that he has no conflicts with the organisers, but unfortunately, Panama will be left without representation this year.
Today, Italia Mora also accused the organisers of violating her rights and threatening her. She called for an official decision on her dismissal, saying that she was not the first contestant to express concerns about her treatment by the Miss Universe organisers.
