# Miss Universe 2000

Miss Universe 2000 was the 49th Miss Universe pageant, held at the Eleftheria Indoor Hall in Nicosia, Cyprus on 12 May 2000.
At the end of the event, Mpule Kwelagobe of Botswana crowned Lara Dutta of India as Miss Universe 2000. It is the country's second victory in the pageant's history.
Contestants from seventy-nine countries and territories competed in this year's pageant. The competition was hosted by Sinbad, with Miss USA 1996 Ali Landry and Julie Moran providing commentary and analysis throughout the event. Elvis Crespo, Dave Koz, Montell Jordan, and Anna Vissi performed in this year's pageant.

## Background
### Location and date

Nicosia was announced as host city of the pageant on 1 July 1999. The country invested $3.5 million in the event, in the hope that the publicity would increase tourism, the island's main industry.
Conservative Cypriot church leaders protested the decision to hold the pageant on the island, claiming that millennium celebrations of the birth of Christ were more important and that the event was scandalous and would promote female nudity.

### Selection of participants
#### Replacements

Miss Universe Hungary 2000, Ágnes Nagy couldn't participate for personal reasons, her first runner-up Izabella Kiss took her place. Miss Italia 1999, Manila Nazzaro was the initial Italian representative to Miss Universe 2000, but the Miss Italia Organization lost their Miss Universe licence that year due to MUO objections that the national contest was opened to married women and mothers since 1994. Then a new contest called The Miss for Miss Universe was organized by the American – Italian actress Clarissa Burtt from 2000 to 2005. Annalisa Guadalupi won the first edition of the pageant. Initially, Miss Russia organizers wanted to send Miss Russia 1997–1998, Yelena Rogozhina to Miss Universe 2000, but her victory at the Miss Europe 1999 contest in Lebanon made her unable to compete at Miss Universe. The winner of Miss Russia 1999, Anna Kruglova, also was ineligible for Miss Universe due to her being underage at the time. Then, the organizers of the Miss Russia contest decided to pick Miss Russia 1999 – first runner-up, Svetlana Goreva for Miss Universe 2000. Initially, the Miss Venezuela Organization chose Martina Thorogood to represent their country at both Miss Universe and Miss World 1999. However, Miss Universe officials objected to this as Thorogood placed first runner-up at Miss World 99 and there was a chance that she could become Miss World should the winner resign or lose her crown. Then MVO wanted to send Miss Venezuela 1999 first runner-up – Norkys Batista to Miss Universe 2000, but because she wasn't the national official titleholder, the Miss Universe officials rejected their participation. Finally a smaller pageant was held among delegates who had competed in previous Miss Venezuela competitions, and Claudia Moreno was chosen to compete at Miss Universe.

## Results
### Placements

| Placement | Contestant |
| Miss Universe 2000 | India – Lara Dutta |
| 1st runner-up | Venezuela – Claudia Moreno |
| 2nd runner-up | Spain – Helen Lindes |
| Top 5 | Canada – Kim Yee  United States – Lynnette Cole |
| Top 10 | Colombia – Catalina Acosta  Estonia – Evelyn Mikomägi  France – Sonia Rolland  South Africa – Heather Hamilton  Zimbabwe – Corinne Crewe |

## Pageant
### Selection committee
#### Final telecast

Source:
* Tony Robbins
* Catherine Bell
* André Leon Talley
* Kim Alexis
* Cristián de la Fuente
* Debbie Allen
* Serena Altschul

## Contestants

Seventy-nine contestants competed for the title.
| Country/Territory | Contestant | Age | Hometown |
| Angola | Eunice Manita | 19 | Luanda |
| Argentina | Andrea Nicastri | 25 | Buenos Aires |
| Aruba | Tamara Scaroni | 23 | San Nicolaas |
| Australia | Samantha Frost | 22 | Sydney |
| Bahamas | Mikala Moss | 24 | Nassau |
| Belgium | Joke Van de Velde | 20 | Ghent |
| Belize | Shiemicka Richardson | 26 | Belize City |
| Bolivia | Yenny Vaca | 18 | Santa Cruz de la Sierra |
| Botswana | Joyce Molemoeng | 21 | Orapa |
| Brazil | Josiane Kruliskoski | 20 | Sinop |
| British Virgin Islands | Tausha Vanterpool | 22 | Tortola |
| Bulgaria | Magdalina Valchanova | 22 | Plovdiv |
| Canada | Kim Yee | 22 | Edmonton |
| Cayman Islands | Mona Lisa Tatum | 22 | George Town |
| Chile | Francesca Sovino | 21 | Valparaíso |
| Colombia | Catalina Acosta | 22 | Bogotá |
| Costa Rica | Laura Mata | 22 | San José |
| Croatia | Renata Lovrinčević | 23 | Split |
| Cyprus | Christy Groutidou | 19 | Nicosia |
| Czech Republic | Jitka Kocurová | 20 | Prague |
| Denmark | Heidi Meyer Vallentin | 23 | Copenhagen |
| Dominican Republic | Gilda Jovine | 20 | Santo Domingo |
| Ecuador | Gabriela Cadena | 20 | Guayaquil |
| Egypt | Rania El-Sayed | 18 | Cairo |
| El Salvador | Alexandra Rivas | 20 | San Salvador |
| Estonia | Evelyn Mikomägi | 20 | Tallinn |
| Finland | Suvi Miinala | 19 | Kemi |
| France | Sonia Rolland | 18 | Cluny |
| Germany | Sabrina Schepmann | 18 | Nauen |
| Ghana | Maame Esi Acquah | 18 | Cape Coast |
| Great Britain | Louise Lakin | 21 | Manchester |
| Greece | Eleni Skafida | 21 | Athens |
| Guam | Lisamarie Quinata | 22 | Hagåtña |
| Guatemala | Evelyn López | 21 | Guatemala City |
| Honduras | Flor Garcia | 19 | San Pedro Sula |
| Hong Kong | Sonija Kwok | 25 | Hong Kong |
| Hungary | Izabella Kiss | 24 | Budapest |
| India | Lara Dutta | 22 | Bengaluru |
| Ireland | Louise Doheny | 19 | Dublin |
| Israel | Nirit Bakshi | 18 | Beersheba |
| Italy | Annalisa Guadalupi | 18 | Rome |
| Jamaica | Saphire Longmore | 24 | Clarendon |
| Japan | Mayu Endo | 24 | Tokyo |
| Lebanon | Norma Elias Naoum | 23 | Beirut |
| Malaysia | Lynette Ludi | 25 | Kuching |
| Malta | Jolene Arpa | 18 | Santa Luċija |
| Mauritius | Jenny Arthemidor | 18 | Port Louis |
| Mexico | Leticia Murray | 20 | Hermosillo |
| Namibia | Mia de Klerk | 20 | Khomas |
| Netherlands | Chantal van Roessel | 25 | North Brabant |
| New Zealand | Tonia Peachey | 19 | Auckland |
| Nigeria | Matilda Kerry | 19 | Lagos |
| Norway | Tonje Kristin Wøllo | 25 | Buskerud |
| Panama | Analía Núñez | 20 | Panama City |
| Paraguay | Carolina Ramírez | 20 | Alto Paraná |
| Peru | Verónica Rueckner | 19 | Piura |
| Philippines | Nina Ricci Alagao | 22 | Makati |
| Poland | Emilia Raszynska | 21 | Warmia-Masuria |
| Portugal | Licinia Macedo | 24 | Madeira |
| Puerto Rico | Zoribel Fonalledas | 22 | Guaynabo |
| Russia | Svetlana Goreva | 18 | Moscow |
| Singapore | Eunice Olsen | 22 | Singapore |
| Sint Maarten | Angelique Romou | 26 | Philipsburg |
| Slovakia | Miroslava Kysucká | 19 | Bratislava |
| South Africa | Heather Hamilton | 22 | Gauteng |
| South Korea | Kim Yeon-joo | 19 | Seoul |
| Spain | Helen Lindes | 18 | Girona |
| Sweden | Valerie Aflalo | 23 | Malmö |
| Switzerland | Anita Buri | 21 | Berg |
| Chinese Taipei | Lei-Ann Chang | 22 | Taipei |
| Thailand | Kulthida Yenprasert | 21 | Bangkok |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Heidi Rostant | 22 | Port of Spain |
| Turks and Caicos | Clintina Gibbs | 20 | Cockburn Town |
| Ukraine | Natalie Shvachko | 24 | Dnipropetrovsk |
| United States | Lynnette Cole | 22 | Columbia |
| Uruguay | Giovanna Piazza | 18 | Montevideo |
| Venezuela | Claudia Moreno | 22 | Caracas |
| Yugoslavia | Lana Marić | 19 | Belgrade |
| Zimbabwe | Corinne Crewe | 18 | Harare |