Miss Tibet pageant 2020 cancelled due to coronavirus outbreak

The Miss Tibet pageant 2020, which was scheduled to take place in June, has been cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak, officials said.

Applicants have been told to apply again for the 2021 pageant, which will take place from June 4-6 next year.

"This year would have been the 18th edition, for which applications were opened on December 1, 2019, and was to close on March 31, 2020, with the pageant taking place from June 5 to 7 in McLeod Ganj. But it has been cancelled this year," Lobsang Wangyal, Founder Director of the event told PTI.

Last year too there was no pageant organised as there were no applicants.

"Hope everybody's taking care and not leaving home to keep away from the crowd. Wish everybody is in safe and sound health in these trying times of coronavirus epidemic, added Wangyal.

The first-ever Miss Tibet pageant was organised in October 2002 in Mecleodganj.

The pageant was criticized as "aping western culture" and "un-Tibetan" but the event continued yearly since then.