FOLLOWING a controversy over her age, Miss World Laos 2021 has surrendered her crown.
According to a report in The Laotian Times, the beauty queen Souphavady Phongsavanh announced her decision to surrender her crown in a Facebook posting on Sunday that read:
"I, Souphavandy Phongsavanh, Miss World Laos 2021, surrender my title as of today as I am unable to hold my position. I am unavailable to respond to questions at this time.
"I apologise to the contest management and panel of judges who had entrusted this title to me. I thank all the people who sent me messages of support."
Souphavady won the title on Wednesday evening, becoming the representative for Laos at the Miss World 2021 pageant finals that would be held in Puerto Rico in December this year.
Following her announcement, a photograph of Souphavady's government-issued identification card was leaked on social media.
It showed that her birth year was listed as 1991, making her 30 years old, despite her claiming to be only 26 years old.
The global pageant maintains a strict age limit, as contestants must be between 17 to 26 years old before the entry date of the Miss World contest, which is usually two months prior to the finals.
It is now expected that the runner-up in the pageant will be crowned the new Miss World Laos 2021.