No swimsuit competition in Miss International 2026 edition
Miss International has revealed that it will scrap the swimsuit competition segment from its 2026 edition.
The move was first announced by the organization's executive director, Stephen Diaz, in a post on X.
"No swimsuit competition at this year's Miss International final gala," he wrote.
No further explanation was given as to why the segment is being removed. The organization has also shared the news in a joint post on its Instagram account.
In the comments section, some pageant fans criticized the decision to remove one of the pageant's highlights.
"That doesn’t help to make the pageant popular. Pageant fans want to see the girls easing down the runway and the swimsuit competition has always been a tradition of the pageant. Honestly, it doesn’t make sense," one user wrote.
"Miss International, instead of progressing each year, is only regressing. Removing the swimsuit segment is like pulling a root out of a tree. If they continue trying to be a poor imitation of Miss World by eliminating the original essence that characterizes them, they will only achieve failure," another said.
Previously, the pageant had also removed the onstage swimsuit competition for its 2023 edition, holding it as a closed-door preliminary event instead.
The 64th edition of Miss International is scheduled to be held at the Tokyo Dome City Hall in Japan on Nov. 25. Catalina Duque of Colombia will crown her successor at the conclusion of the event.
The Philippines will be represented by Katrina Anne Johnson of Davao Province. She is aiming to secure the country's seventh Miss International crown, following the victories of Gemma Cruz in 1964, Aurora Pijuan in 1970, Melanie Marquez in 1979, Precious Lara Quigaman in 2005, Bea Rose Santiago in 2013, and Kylie Verzosa in 2016.
