Did MGI president Nawat Itsaragrisil acquire Miss Universe Thailand?
Miss Grand International (MGI) Organization president Nawat Itsaragrisil made rounds online as he posted photos of himself against a backdrop of the Miss Universe signage.
"Miss Universe x MGI [Organization]," the Thai businessperson captioned his post.
On his Instagram stories, Nawat also posted a series of posters calling for applications from aspiring queens who wanted to represent Thailand in the Miss Universe 2025 pageant.
"Who is going to Road to MUT2025[?], [P]lease contact urgently," Instagram's English translation of Nawat's caption said while indicating some contact numbers and the application can be submitted via Google form until Feb. 17 at 7 p.m.
It added, "Limited to only 25 applications. Selected candidates will receive a confirmation email."
Meanwhile, Sakul Limpapanon, also part of the MGI organization, posted the same call for applications alongside a post highlighting the "official social media accounts" of Miss Universe Thailand.
"Hello, The New Era of MUT," the caption read.
In a separate post, the new MUT social media posted an edited photo of Nawat with Anne Jakrajutatip, the owner of JKN Global Group, which acquired the Miss Universe franchise in October 2022.
"Hello Universe! Hello, MGI. Welcome to the new era of beauty pageants in Thailand and the Universe!" it said.
Furthermore, reports said that Nawat paid 180 million Thai Baht (over P309 million) for the MUT license for the next five years as its "new national director."
'Change is a natural thing'
PUI Sankosik, the managing director of TPN Global and also the license holder of Miss Universe Thailand, said in a Facebook post that "change is a natural thing" and that they were "proud" of what they had done. This came an hour after Nawat posted the said photos, featuring him against the MU signage.
"Congratulations! Change is a natural thing. We are proud of what we have done. We do it with love. Let's keep going," she said in Thai.
There has been no formal announcement yet on whether Nawat acquired Miss Universe Thailand. Nonetheless, as per his IG story, an official statement will be released tomorrow.
The grand coronation night of Miss Universe 2025 will happen on Nov. 21 at the Impact Muong Thong Thani Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.
