Zambia and Republic of Congo Withdraw From Miss Universe Over U.S. Visas

Zambia and the Republic of Congo will not be represented on stage at Miss Universe in Puerto Rico. Their delegates withdrew from the competition after they could not secure U.S. visas, according to ABC News.

Zambia's representative is Mubanga Pamela Hatyoka. The Republic of Congo's representative is Georgina Kambongo, who was the country's first-ever Miss Universe representative. Both women are out of the pageant because of the visa problem.

Two other African contestants were still waiting on visas. South Sudan's contestant, Adut Deng, and Zimbabwe's representative, Roseanna Hall, had not yet received the documents they need to travel to Puerto Rico.

The problem comes from U.S. travel rules. The administration expanded its travel restrictions in December to add Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Republic of Congo and South Sudan already faced a full suspension of entry for their nationals, meaning people from those countries cannot enter the United States under the current rules.

The 75th Miss Universe competition is expected to draw as many as 120 contestants. The schedule runs over several days. The national costume competition is set for Nov. 21. Swimsuit and evening gown segments follow the next day, on Nov. 22. The winner is due to be crowned on Nov. 24.

For the pageant, the withdrawals mean fewer women on the stage for the opening events. For the contestants who stayed home, it means missing the chance to compete on one of the sport's biggest international stages. Miss Universe has long billed itself as a global event, and a visa is the one thing no contestant can bring with her.

Visa decisions are made by U.S. government agencies, not by the pageant. Any change for South Sudan or Zimbabwe would depend on those decisions arriving before the competition begins.