"I Don't Want to Get Vaccinated..." Miss Netherlands Withdraws from the World Beauty Pageant

Dilay Willemstein (21), who was selected as 'Miss Netherlands' in 2021, has decided not to participate in the Miss World pageant, one of the world's top three beauty contests, stating that she does not wish to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
[Photo by Instagram]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] The winner of the Miss Netherlands pageant has refused to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and consequently gave up participating in 'Miss World,' one of the world's top three beauty pageants.

According to the New York Post and others on the 7th (local time), Dilay Willemstein (21), who was selected as Miss Netherlands 2021, announced on her Instagram on the 5th that "I will not represent the Netherlands on the Miss World stage."

Willemstein cited the mandatory vaccine regulations as the reason, explaining, "Personally, I am not ready yet."

She added, "I carefully considered getting vaccinated, but at some point, I felt completely unprepared. It was the best choice for me. If I had done something that made me uncomfortable, I would have regretted it more."

According to Willemstein, participants must be vaccinated to compete in the Miss World pageant scheduled to be held in Puerto Rico this December.

Willemstein claimed that all participants were informed of the mandatory vaccine regulation as a condition for competing in the pageant.

Dylay Willemstein (21), who was selected as 'Miss Netherlands' in 2021, has decided not to participate in the Miss World pageant, one of the world's top three beauty contests, stating that she does not wish to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
[Photo by Instagram capture]

In response, Katja Maas, CEO of Miss World Netherlands, said, "Since participants' vaccination status is personal medical information, we did not verify it separately," adding, "We did not expect vaccination to be an issue."

With Willemstein's withdrawal from Miss World, the spot was taken by Lizzy Dover, the runner-up of the Miss Netherlands pageant.

Dover commented on Willemstein's vaccine refusal, saying, "People must make their own choices, and we should respect each other."

Meanwhile, Miss World, which began in 1951 and is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, is one of the world's top three beauty pageants. This time, Puerto Rico will be the first Spanish-speaking country to host Miss World.