Miss World 1997

Miss World 1997, the 47th edition of the Miss World pageant, was held on 22 November 1997 at the Plantation Club Seychelles in Baie Lazare, Seychelles.^[1] 86 delegates competed for the coveted crown. At the end of the event, India's Diana Hayden came out victorious. Hayden went on to win the Miss World 1997 pageant at the age of 24 crowned by Miss World 1996, Irene Skliva. It was the first time the Miss World pageant was held in the Seychelles. She became the third Indian woman to win Miss World since Reita Faria in 1966 and Aishwarya Rai in 1994.

Miss World 1997
Miss World 1997 Diana Hayden
Date	22 November 1997
Presenters	Richard Steinmetz Khanyi Dhlomo-Mkhize
Venue	Plantation Club, Seychelles
Broadcaster	Star World E! SBC
Entrants	86
Placements	10
Debuts	Cape Verde Nepal
Withdrawals	Bangladesh Bonaire Curaçao French Polynesia Grenada Guam Kenya Macedonia Nigeria Romania
Returns	Bahamas Cayman Islands Egypt Honduras Malta Namibia
Winner	Diana Hayden India
Personality	Tanya Suesuntisook (Thailand)
Best National Costume	Lauralee Martinovich (New Zealand)
Photogenic	Diana Hayden (India)
← 1996 1998 →

Background

Debuts, and, returns, and, withdrawals

This edition marked the debut of Cape Verde and Nepal, and the return of the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Egypt, Honduras, Malta, Namibia; Egypt, which last competed in 1990, Honduras, Malta and Namibia last competed in 1993, The Bahamas and Cayman Islands, last competed in 1995.

Bangladesh, Bonaire, Curaçao, French Polynesia, Grenada, Guam, Kenya, Macedonia, Nigeria, Romania, withdrew from the competition. Miss Curaçao World 1997, Jeameane Colastica did not compete due lack of time and preparation. She went next year instead.^[2]

Results

Countries and territories which sent delegates and results for Miss World 1997^[1]

Placements

Placement	Contestant
Miss World 1997	India – Diana Hayden
1st Runner-up	New Zealand – Lauralee Martinovich
2nd Runner-up	South Africa – Jessica Motaung
Top 5	Thailand – Tanya Suesuntisook  Turkey – Çağla Şıkel
Top 10	Australia – Laura Csortan  Lebanon – Joëlle Behlock  Malaysia – Arianna Teoh  United Kingdom – Vicki-Lee Walberg  United States – Sallie Toussaint

Continental Queens of Beauty

Continental Group	Contestant
Africa	South Africa – Jessica Motaung
Americas	United States – Sallie Toussaint
Asia & Oceania	India – Diana Hayden
Caribbean	Jamaica – Michell Moodie
Europe	Turkey – Çağla Şıkel

Contestants

• Argentina – Natalia Pombo
• Aruba – Michella Laclé Croes
• Australia – Laura Csortan
• Austria – Susanne Nagele
• Bahamas – Alveta Adderley
• Belgium – Sandrine Corman
• Bolivia – Mitzy Suárez Saucedo
• Bosnia and Herzegovina – Elma Terzić
• Botswana – Mpule Kwelagobe^[3]
• Brazil – Fernanda Rambo Agnes
• British Virgin Islands – Zoe Jennifer Walcott
• Bulgaria – Simona Velitchkova
• Canada – Keri-Lynn Power
• Cape Verde – Carmelinda Gonçalves
• Cayman Islands – Cassandra Powell
• Chile – Paulina Mladinic
• Colombia – Gladys Buitrago Caicedo
• Costa Rica – Rebeca Escalante Trejas
• Croatia – Martina Novosel
• Cyprus – Galatia Charalambidou
• Czech Republic – Terezie Dobrovolná
• Dominican Republic – Carolina Estrella Peña
• Ecuador – Clío Olaya Frías
• Egypt – Amel Shawky Soliman
• Estonia – Mairit Roonsar
• Finland – Minna Lehtinen
• France – Laure Belleville
• Germany – Katja Glawe
• Ghana – Benita Sena Golomeke
• Gibraltar – Rosanna Ressa
• Greece – Eugenia Limantzaki
• Guatemala – Lourdes Mabel Valencia Bobadilla
• Holland – Sonja Aldina Silva
• Honduras – Hansel Cristina Cáceres Teruel
• Hong Kong – Vivian Lee Ming-Wai
• Hungary – Beata Petes
• India – Diana Hayden
• Ireland – Andrea Roche
• Israel – Mirit Greenberg
• Italy – Irene Lippi
• Jamaica – Michelle Moodie
• Japan – Shinobu Saraie
• Latvia – Līga Graudumniece^[4]
• Lebanon – Joëlle Behlock
• Lithuania – Asta Vyšniauskaitė
• Macau – Agnes Lo Vai Van
• Malaysia – Arianna Teoh
• Malta – Sarah Vella
• Mexico – Blanca Soto
• Namibia – Sheya Shipanga
•   Nepal – Jharana Bajracharya^[5]
• New Zealand – Lauralee Martinovich
• Norway – Charlotte Høiåsen
• Panama – Patricia Aurora Bremner Hernández
• Paraguay – Mariela Quiñónez García
• Peru – Claudia María Luque Barrantas
• Philippines – Kristine Rachel Florendo
• Poland – Roksana Jonek
• Portugal – Icilia Silva Berenguel
• Puerto Rico – Aurea Isis Marrero Nieves
• Russia – Liudmila Popova
• Seychelles – Michelle Lane
• Singapore – Jasmine Wong
• Slovakia – Marietta Senčáková
• Slovenia – Maja Šimec
• South Africa – Jessica Motaung
• South Korea^[a] – Kim Jin-ah
• Spain – Nuria Avellaneda Gallego
• Swaziland – Xoliswa Mkhonta
• Sweden – Sofia Joelsson
•  Switzerland – Tanja Gutmann
• Taiwan^[b] – Fang Su-Ling
• Tanzania – Saida Joy Kessys Sashays
• Thailand – Tanya Suesuntisook
• Trinidad and Tobago – Mandy Jagdeo
• Turkey – Çağla Şıkel^[6]
• Uganda – Lillian Acom
• Ukraine – Kseniya Kuz'menko
• United Kingdom – Vicki-Lee Walberg
• United States – Sallie Toussaint
• United States Virgin Islands^[c] – Taisha Regina Gomes
• Uruguay – Ana González Kwasny
• Venezuela – Christina Dieckmann Jiménez
• Yugoslavia – Tamara Šaponjić
• Zambia – Tukuza Tembo
• Zimbabwe – Una Patel^[7]

Notes

1. competed as Korea
2. Also known as the Republic of China
3. competed as American Virgin Islands

Withdrawals

• Guam – No contest.
• Iceland – Harpa Lind Hardardottir^[2]
• Nigeria – Adanma Evoh - Due to sponsorship scheduling problems and political conflict.
• Kazakhstan - Jamila Bisembieva - Due to sponsorship problems.

Replacements

• South Africa - Kerishnie Naicker - Due personal problems. She went next year to Miss Universe 1998 and Miss World 1998 where become Top 5 and Queen of Africa.

Other Notes

• Australia – Laura Csortan also competed at Miss Universe in 1997, where she placed 13th to Brook Lee and it was held in Miami Beach, Florida.
• Botswana – Mpule Kwelagobe went on to compete in Miss Universe 1999 held in Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago after two years and won the crown.