Nawat Itsaragrisil, the organizer of the Miss Universe pageant, has sparked controversy after calling Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch “stupid”. Itsaragrisil told Sky News that he could not resign from his position despite allegations that he had been aggressive with a competitor.
Miss Mexico, Fatima Bosch/PHOTO: Instagram @fatimaboschfdz
According to Sky News, Nawat Itsaragrisil appears scolding Miss Mexico after she did not post promotional content about this year’s host country Thailand on social media.
Journalists present at the event claimed that he called Fatima Bosch a “slut”, which he strongly denies.
After the verbal altercation, the competitor replied: “You don’t respect me as a woman.”
Nawat Itsaragrisil, organizer of the Miss Universe pageant/PHOTO: Wikipedia
Nawat then called security and Bosch left the room, followed by other contestants in solidarity, including the current Miss Universe. The pageant’s president, Mexican businessman Raul Rocha, described his righteous behavior “public aggression” and “serious abuse”.
At a press conference, Nawat insisted that he had used the word “damage” (damages) and no “dumbhead” (silly) and urged journalists to check the footage of the incident online.
However, he added: “This issue got me down. I understand and I apologize.”
When asked by the media, Nawat began to cry and said: “I am a man who can be hurt.”
He also apologized to the contestants, saying: “If anyone was offended or uncomfortable, it happened, I’m very sorry. It’s past. All right? Are you satisfied?”
The controversy has overshadowed the Miss Universe pageant, with several events remaining before the grand finale on November 21.
