Miss Universe Owner Cites Miss Côte d'Ivoire’s "Weak Passport" for Her Loss

Controversies continue to taint the latest edition of Miss Universe after its co-owner, Mexican businessman Raul Rocha Cantú, issued a statement regarding the performance of certain candidates. In a series of posts and interviews online, he addressed the uproar over Miss Côte d'Ivoire Olivia Yacé's unprecedented placement.

In a live video that has since expired, Raul Rocha Cantú stated in Spanish that "the Miss Universe crown isn’t just about performance on stage. It’s also about the ability to represent the organization globally." Referring to the duties of a titleholder, which include visiting numerous countries throughout her reign, he reasoned that a passport from Côte d'Ivoire would limit Olivia Yacé’s capabilities to fulfill the role.

"With the visa restrictions her passport presents, it would have been extremely challenging for her to meet the demands of the role," he said.

"For those who say [why] Côte d’Ivoire didn’t win, there are many things that need to be evaluated. Go to Google, for [everyone who] has a cellphone — and look for how many countries [it needs] a visa to enter: 175!" Raul continued.

The owner remarked that if Olivia won, she would have been "a Miss Universe who might spend a whole year in the apartment," given her passport's limitations. According to the Henley Passport Index, the West African country can enter only 58 other nations without a visa.

In the wake of this statement, Raul spoke to Mexican press to share his stress over managing the pageant's organization. He rose to power in 2024 and currently co-owns the pageant with the Thai media company JKN. In an interview, he expressed that he is "just so fed up."

"This is like a test, like a relay race. Who do I pass the baton to?" he stated. "They want to come and tell you what decisions to make, how to make them, why you hire or fire people, and why you add or remove people."

Raul's remarks about the reason behind Olivia's loss did not go unnoticed by contestants from the last edition. In particular, Miss Guadeloupe, Ophely Mezino, called him out for his "racist" reasoning in an Instagram Story.

"Did you steal the money of my Afro-Caribbean girls? Did you let them compete knowing they would never win this competition? Did you let them participate just to speak about diversity and inclusion?" she asked the Mexican national.

"Are you trying to find a racist excuse for the fact that you didn't choose someone who was highly qualified for this job?" she continued, before clarifying that Olivia apparently holds an American passport, which is one of the most powerful in the world.

Ophely also lambasted Raul for "stealing the money of small territories" by exploiting them for the pageant. "I have followed pageantry for a decade [and] this is a humiliation, a lack of respect for the contestants, the families, the representatives who put so much energy into your brand," she wrote. "How can you disrespect those countries like that?"

Notably, Olivia was tagged in the Instagram Story and has reposted it on her own account. Raul, or any official from the Miss Universe Organization, has yet to respond to either camp.