Souphavady Phongsavanh, who was crowned Miss World Laos 2021 on 31st March 2021 at Landmark Riverside Mekong Hotel, Vientiane Capital, has surrendered her crown following the controversy surrounding her legal age.

The beauty queen made an announcement on her personal Facebook page, which read, “I, Souphavandy Phongsavanh, Miss World Laos 2021, surrender my title as of today as I am unable to hold my position. I am unavailable to respond to questions at this time. I apologise to the contest management and panel of judges who had entrusted this title to me. I thank all the people who sent me messages of support.”

The whole controversy began as a photograph of Souphavady’s government-issued identification card was leaked to social media, with her birth year listed as 1991, making her 30 years old, despite her claiming to be only 26 years old.

Miss World maintains a strict age limit, as contestants must be between 17 to 26 years old before the entry date of the Miss World contest (which is usually 2 months prior to the coronation). It is expected that the first runner-up Phonevilai Luanglath will now take the crown and represent Laos at Miss World 2021 to be held in Puerto Rico. However, an official confirmation is still awaited.