Daily Times

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is all set to participate in the prestigious Miss Universe pageant for the first time.

The country’s participation was announced on Miss Universe Organisation (MUO) official Instagram page.

In an Instagram post, Poppy Capella, an Indonesian businesswoman, was named as the national director for the UAE franchise and Cyprus, having previously served as the national director of Miss Universe Indonesia and Malaysia. Emilia Dobreva, a fashion model and a mother of three, gears up to represent the country at the 73rd Miss Universe competition on Saturday, November 16, in Mexico City, Mexico. Dobreva will wear an abaya during the national costume round, reported by Khaleej Times.

Dobreva is not new to beauty pageants. In, October, she was crowned Miss Universe UAE, defeating four other contestants and achieving a big milestone for the country. Taking to Instagram, the Miss Universe UAE organisation praised her for her “elegance, intelligence and passion for empowering others,” calling her an inspiration Taking to Instagram, Dobreva shared photos of herself wearing UAE slash and wrote, “I’m so excited to share that I’ve officially received my official sash of UAE for @missuniverse. It’s truly an honor to represent not only myself but all the incredible women around the world.”

“And to make it even more special, I’m now in beautiful Mexico! The energy is absolutely incredible, and I’m so grateful to be experiencing this vibrant culture I’ve even started learning a bit of Spanish and I’m excited to connect with even more people during this amazing journey,” she added. According to Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam, the model was raised in London, UK, before relocating with her family to the UAE. Dobreva began modelling at 12 and has walked the catwalk at fashion events worldwide, including New Your Fashion Week, Chengdu beauty pageants, Dubai Fashion Week and Riyadh Fashion Week. Dobreva was crowned Miss World 2016 in recognition of her outstanding performance. She earned the Miss Friendship International and Miss Talent-Winner titles in Chengdu, China, in 2019 and 2020, respectively.