Miss World 1975

Miss World 1975 was the 25th edition of the Miss World pageant, held on 20 November 1975 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, United Kingdom. 67 contestants took part in the pageant won by Wilnelia Merced of Puerto Rico.^[1][2] She was crowned by Anneline Kriel of South Africa. Runner-up was Germany, Marina Langer, third place was Vicki Harris representing the United Kingdom, fourth place was Maricela Maxie Clark of Cuba, and Yugoslavia's Ladija Verkovska completed the top five.

Miss World 1975
Date	20 November 1975
Presenters	David Vine †
Venue	Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom
Broadcaster	BBC
Entrants	67
Placements	15
Debuts	Curaçao El Salvador Haiti Saint Lucia Swaziland
Withdrawals	Botswana Ecuador Jamaica Madagascar Spain Zambia
Returns	Bolivia Cuba Iceland Luxembourg Mauritius Peru Seychelles Trinidad and Tobago Turkey Uruguay
Winner	Wilnelia Merced[1][2] Puerto Rico
Congeniality	Maggie Siew Teen Sim Singapore
Photogenic	Vinah Thembi Mamba Swaziland
← 1974 1976 →

Background

Selection of participants

Replacements

Anna Vitale of Italy was replaced by Vanna Bortolini, her first runner-up of the Miss Italy, because she decided to return home to take care of her ill mother and Rhoda Rademeyer of South Africa was the second runner-up of Miss South Africa. The official titleholder, Helga Vera Johns, was disqualified by the Miss World organizers when it was discovered that she came from Rhodesia. Her Rhodesian nationality apparently violated the pageant's rules. The first runner-up, Crystal Coopers, went to London, but her father would not allow her to compete there because it was discovered that Vera Johns was not going to be officially stripped of her title. This was the second time Helga Vera Johns was barred from competing in the Miss World contest and still to this day remains the only contestant to be barred at least twice from competing at Miss World. The first time was in 1972 when she tried to compete as Miss Rhodesia but was not allowed to compete due to her Rhodesian nationality.^[3][4]

Debuts, returns, and, withdrawals

This edition marked the debut of Curaçao, El Salvador, Haiti, Saint Lucia and Swaziland and the return of Bolivia, Cuba, Iceland, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Peru, Seychelles, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey and Uruguay. Cuba, which last competed in 1955, Bolivia and Uruguay last competed in 1965, Trinidad and Tobago last competed in 1971 and Iceland, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Peru, Seychelles and Turkey last competed in 1973.

Botswana, Ecuador, Jamaica, Madagascar, and Zambia, withdrew from the competition for unknown reasons. Olga Fernández Pérez of Spain promptly withdrew from the competition, after an announcement that Francisco Franco, the ruler of Spain, had died on the morning of the pageant date. Pageant organizers concerned that she had been too upset by Franco's death to appear in the finals.

Results

Countries and territories which sent delegates and results for Miss World 1975^[2][5]

Placements

Placement	Contestant
Miss World 1975	Puerto Rico – Wilnelia Merced[1][2]
1st runner-up	West Germany – Marina Langner[5]
2nd runner-up	United Kingdom – Vicki Harris[5]
3rd runner-up	Cuba – Maricela Maxie Clark
4th runner-up	Yugoslavia – Lidija Velkovska
Top 7	Haiti – Joelle Apollon Venezuela – María Conchita Alonso
Top 15	Australia – Anne Davidson Finland – Leena Kaarina Vainio India – Anjana Sood Lebanon – Ramona Keram Mauritius – Mariella Tse-Sik-Sun Saint Lucia – Sophia St. Omer South Africa – Rhoda Rademeyer Uruguay – Carmen Abal

Contestants

• Argentina – Lilian Noemí De Asti^[6]
• Aruba – Cynthia Marlene Bruin
• Australia – Anne Davidson
• Austria – Rosemarie Holzschuh ^[7]
• Bahamas – Ava Marilyn Burke
• Barbados – Peta Hazel Greaves
• Belgium – Christine Delmelle
• Bermuda – Donna Louise Wright
• Bolivia – María Mónica Guardia^[8]
• Brazil – Zaida Souza Costa
• Canada – Normande Jacques
• Colombia – Amanda Amaya Correa
• Costa Rica – María Mayela Bolaños Ugalde
• Cuba – Maricela Clark^[9]
• Curaçao – Elvira Nelly Maria Bakker
• Denmark – Pia Isa Lauridsen
• Dominican Republic – Carmen Rosa Arredondo Pou
• El Salvador – Ana Stella Comas Durán
• Finland – Leena Kaarina Vainio^[10]
• France – Sophie Sonia Perin^[11]
• Gibraltar – Lillian Anne Lara
• Greece – Bella Adamopoulou
• Guam – Dora Ann Quintanilla Camacho
• Guernsey – Carol Dawn Le Billon^[12]
• Haiti – Joelle Apollon
• Holland – Barbara Ann Neefs
• Honduras – Etelinda Mejía Velásquez
• Hong Kong – Teresa Chu Tsui-Kuen
• Iceland – Halldóra Björk Jónsdóttir
• India – Anjana Sood
• Ireland – Elaine Rosemary O'Hara
• Israel – Atida Mor
• Italy – Vanna Bortolini
• Japan – Chiharu Fujiwara
• Jersey – Susan Maxwell de Gruchy
• Lebanon – Ramona Karam
• Luxembourg – Marie Thérèse Manderschied^[13]
• Malaysia – Fauziah Haron^[14]
• Malta – Marie Grace Ciantar
• Mauritius – Marielle Tse Sik-Sun
• Mexico – Blanca Patricia López Esparza
• New Zealand – Janet Andrea Nugent
• Nicaragua – María Auxiliadora Paguaga Mantilla
• Norway – Sissel Gulbrandsen
• Peru – Mary Orfanides Canakis
• Philippines – Suzanne Gonzalez^[15]
• Puerto Rico – Wilnelia Merced^{[citation needed]}
• Saint Lucia – Sophia St. Omer
• Seychelles – Amelie Lydia Michel^[16]
• Singapore – Maggie Siew Teen Sim
• South Africa^[a] – Lydia Gloria Johnstone
• South Africa – Rhoda Rademeyer
• South Korea^[b] – Lee Sung-hee^[17]
• Sri Lanka – Angela Seneviratne
• Swaziland – Vinah Thembi Mamba^[18]
• Sweden – Agneta Catharina Magnusson
•  Switzerland – Franziska Angst
• Thailand – Raevadee Pattamaphong^[19]
• Trinidad and Tobago – Donna Sandra Dalrymple
• Tunisia – Monia Dida
• Turkey – Harika Değirmenci^[20]
• United Kingdom – Vicki Ann Harris^[21]
• United States – Annelise Ilschenko
• Uruguay – Carmen Abal
• Venezuela – María Concepción Alonso Bustillo
• West Germany – Marina Langner^[22]
• Yugoslavia – Lidija Velkovska

Notes

1. Competed as Africa South in the pageant
2. Competed as Korea in the pageant