No Bikinis For This Year’s Miss World Contestants

CONTESTANTS at this year's Miss World beauty pageant will not wear bikinis in the parade in a bid to avoid causing offense in Muslim-majority Indonesia, organizers have confirmed.

The 137 women taking part in the September contest will swap bikinis for more conservative attire, such as traditional sarongs, for the beach fashion section.

The contest is being held on the resort island of Bali, where foreign tourists flock in their millions and the beaches are packed with women sunbathing in skimpy swimwear.

But Miss World Organization chairwoman Julia Morley insisted that none of the pageant's contestants would wear a bikini.


Bikinis have long been a feature of the Miss World beauty pageant. Picture: AFP

"I don't want to upset or get anyone in a situation where we are being disrespectful," she said from London.

"We treasure respect for all the countries that take part in the pageant," she said, adding the outfits had not yet been finalized. Organizers are treading carefully after a number of music acts to recently visit Indonesia provoked controversy because of performers' outfits.

Last year pop sensation Lady Gaga was forced to cancel her concert in Indonesia after Muslim hardliners threatened to burn down the venue and criticized her for only wearing"a bra and panties".

Singer Beyonce and band The Pussycat Dolls were also asked to cover up before performing in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country.

The upcoming Miss World pageant, to be held in Bali and Bogor just outside Jakarta, has already stirred anger with the country's top Muslim clerical body, the Indonesian Ulema Council, which has called for its cancellation.