Miss Grand cuts ties with Miss Eco International over alleged 'inappropriate' treatment of contestants
Miss Grand Thailand has announced the "permanent termination" of its cooperation with Miss Eco International due to claims that the latter was unprofessional toward candidates throughout its most recent edition.
In a statement released on May 25, Thailand-based MGI announced it will no longer be sending delegates to future Miss Eco International pageants because of "several concerns regarding the organization's management standards." These lapses, according to MGI, directly affected its representative at the competition, Miss Eco Thailand 2026 Jessica Cristina Niinimaa.
"[Miss Grand] will cease all cooperation with [Miss Eco International] and will no longer accept contestants affiliated with the said organization to participate in Miss Grand International in the future," the statement read.
According to MGI, Miss Eco International, which is based in Egypt, required contestants to pay for their own airport transportation and sightseeing activities, which included trips to the pyramids. Additionally, MGI claimed organizers collected a deposit fee from candidates without being clear about a refund process, even allegedly displaying "an apparent reluctance" to return the deposits.
"The company considers such actions inappropriate, lacking proper standards of contestant care, and potentially exploitative and dishonest toward participants," MGI wrote.
"Airport transfers, transportation arrangements, and official competition activities should reasonably fall under the responsibility and proper management of the organizing body, with the welfare and rights of contestants being treated as a priority," it added.
The Miss Eco International 2026 coronation night took place on May 22 in Alexandria, Egypt. Miss Eco International 2025, the Philippines' own Alexie Brooks, passed her crown on to her successor, Mexico's Palmira Ruiz.
MGI's claims make up just part of the controversies surrounding the latest Miss Eco International 2026 competition.
Two days after the coronation night, the organization announced the withdrawal of the Miss Eco Asia 2026 title, as well as the revocation of the national license held by Miss Eco Vietnam. The decision effectively stripped Vietnam's delegate, Nguyen Thi Thu Truc, of her Miss Eco Asia title.
According to the organization, this was due to the "repeated and documented attempts" of Miss Eco Vietnam's national director "to influence the competition through bribery—cash offers, made in writing, in exchange for preferential treatment and a guaranteed Top 10 placement," Miss Eco International wrote in a statement, adding the bribery offers were "firmly rejected."
Nguyen Thi Thu Truc further fanned the controversy when, during the finals, she took the microphone from host Kitt Cortez to ask why she was excluded from the Top 10 despite earning the People's Choice Award in the competition's online voting platform.
As of writing, Miss Eco International has not released a statement addressing the withdrawal of support from MGI.
