MEXICO: Contestants for the 2007 Miss Universe pageant arrive in Mexico City ahead of the May 28 pageant

Contestants from around the world attended a cocktail party in Mexico City on Thursday (May 3) to kick off the Miss Universe beauty pageant. Contestants will enjoy a month of fun-fuelled events in different parts of Mexico before the winner is crowned at a final ceremony in the National Auditorium in Mexico City on May 28. Representatives from Jamaica, Bolivia, and Russia showed off their elegance and beauty, posing for photographers and chatting with journalists. Last year's winner, Puerto Rican beauty Zuleyka Rivers, welcomed contestants like Colombia's representative Eileen Roca Torralvo, who said she hoped to win the Miss Universe title to draw attention to her native country. "In this case, beyond having high expectations, we are also very confused about what is going to happen. I know all the girls want to do their best. My principal expectation is to put Colombia on top. The competition is difficult. There are very beautiful girls. There's a reason they are participating in the Miss Universe competition. But what I want is for people to know about Colombia, to say that the Colombian girl didn't qualify but she was an excellent girl. Or that she qualify and then I will take the crown, the second one, back to the Colombian people," she said. Roca Torralvo then posed next to fellow Latin American competitors Maria Jose Maldonado from Paraguay and Bolivia's Jessica Ann Jordan. Jordan said she dreams of hearing the name of her country called out on the night of May 28. "My dream is the biggest (dream). It's to hear my country, Bolivia, being called out on the final night whether (the pageant) is between 20 or ten or three or five (contestants)," she said. Miss Argentina, Daniela Alejandra Stucan, said the pageant was good for Mexico's tourist industry. "I think it's great this is the site of the contest because here in Mexico these kinds of events are highly valued. Feminine beauty, not so much the exterior but also the interior, (is valued). And I think the country deserved it on a level of tourism and promotion. For me, it's very good to be in a Latin American country," she said. Miss Universe contestants will display their beauty and charm in Cancun, Chiapas, and San Luis de Potosi, competing for the holy grail of beauty prizes while attracting attention to various tourist destinations throughout Mexico. This is the fourth time Mexico has hosted Miss Universe. Organizers put the price tag of the mega-event at nearly 15 million U.S. dollars, but count on large income from the media buzz. The pageant, started by Pacific Mills in 1952, is now a joint venture between Donald Trump and NBC Universal and the final night will run live on NBC. The Miss Universe Organization is committed to increasing AIDS/HIV awareness by focusing on women's health issues.

ITN Source | May 9, 2007

Tags:. .various. .display. .count. .committed. .russia