After holding the 1980 Winter Olympics, the state of New York wins the right to host the 1981 MU.
2. Before arriving to the States, Miss Puerto Rico, Carmen Lotti, leaves San Juan for Peru’s capital, Lima, to compete in the Miss South America 1981, a pre-MU contest.
3. Irene Saez of oil-rich Venezuela wins the world trophy in New York City (America’s most densely populated city), heralding a new future for the Latin American nation. Prior to compete in the States,she captures the Miss South American title in Peru (on the west coast of South America). Growing up in Caracas, she became an avid admired the U.S. at a very young age. Aside from being a keen American baseball fan, she said at New York City that U.S.President Ronald Reagan is the “greatest personality on Earth” because he “represents peace in the world”. Over the following decades, she entered the political arena in her homeland. Her political career began when she rose to the position of major of Chacao in 1992. By the end of the 1990s, she ran for President against Hugo Chavez.
4. Legendary Brazilian soccer goal-tender Edison “Edson” Arantes do Nascimento is one of the telecast judges.
5. Before being eliminated in the first round, Miss Denmark gains the title of Miss Photogenic.
6. An 18-year-old aspiring international model from Brazil is third runner-up. As well as being finalist, the young Adrianne Alves de Oliveira was the second Brazilian to earn the Best National Costume title. Additionally, she is the only Brazilian twice elected Miss Brazil (Universe ’81 & World’84). Back in Brazil, she became model and then moved to Western Europe. Following a successful career in Paris, she was crowned Miss Brazil World by outgoing Brazilian queen Cathia Pedrosa, who finished second runner-up in the Global event at Great Britain. Although Alves de Oliveira was the bookmaker’s favorite at the Miss World contest in England in November 1984, she did not qualify for the finals, where was defeated curiously by another Venezuelan called Astrid Carolina Herrera. This was her third defeated against Venezuela’s representatives.
7. The most remarkable phenomenon in the contest is without doubt Miss Canada. She came close to winning the universal event at NY City’s Minskoff Theatre, behind South America’s represenative Saez.
8. Sweden qualifies for the finals in MU for fourth consecutive time.
9. Who is who in MU? :Miss Ecuador! Fair-haired Lucia Isabel Vinueza Urjlles, who plays golf, becomes the first woman from Ecuador to classify for the semi-finals, putting her country in the list of the last South American nation to compete in the second round in MU history. She, “South America’s Madonna Lou Ciccone”, is one of the few Latino delegates to speak English at New York City.Though small, she finishes 10 th in the final ranking, among 76 entries. Ecuador’s 18-year old Isabel Vinueza arrived in America after competing at Miss South America 1981 in Lima (Peru),being eliminated in the first phase by an international panel led by Joao Havelange, president of FIFA. Isabel Vinueza was born in Cuenca and grew up in Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest city.