Following the success of this year's Eurovision song contest in Tel Aviv and the positive reviews it received abroad, it appears the Israeli appetite for more glitz and glam has grown. Israel Hayom has learned that in recent months multiple talks have been held in an effort to bring the Miss Universe pageant to the Holy Land.
According to sources familiar with the discussions, representatives of the Miss Universe Organization, which holds the rights over the competition, met with Israeli producers in New York and even secretly visited Israel.
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Both sides have expressed a willingness to move forward with the idea, but more than a few obstacles exist, including the upcoming general election in Israel, which hampers communication with the relevant government ministries, and budgetary concerns.
Unlike the Eurovision, where participants hailed from 41 European countries with normal diplomatic relations with Israel, over 100 countries take part in the Miss Universe contest, including some Arab countries who are in conflict with Israel. Their delegations' entry into Israel, if they would even wish to come, would require the approval of special visas and the involvement of security agencies.
"The goal … is to host the event as early as this year, but at the same time we are looking into the option of holding the 2020 event here," said one familiar source. "And then, maybe, even though it's a cliché, world peace can come of it," he added.
Miss Universe is the most widely viewed beauty pageant in the world. The competition was established in 1926, consists of beauty queens from across the globe and always makes headlines. If the talks come to fruition, Israel would benefit from a wave of positive publicity.
To compare, this year's Eurovision in Israel garnered some 200 million viewers, while almost 600 million people across the globe watched Miss Universe. Unlike Eurovision, which is always hosted by the previous year's winning country, Miss Universe is hosted randomly and independent of the results.
Israel's representative for this year's pageant is Sella Sharlin, 22, from Tel Yitzhak. The event will take place in December, and with a great deal of effort, it could be held here in Israel.
