MOSCOW, Dec. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- The Miss Russia Organization today announced that for the first time the winner of its annual pageant will compete in the Miss World contest, expanding global opportunity for Miss Russia contestants. To officially announce the new partnership between the two organizations, the current Miss World, Tatana Kucharova of the Czech Republic, will attend the 2006 Miss Russia Pageant event on Dec. 15.
The Miss Russia Pageant, which is owned and operated by Russian Standard Corporation, brings together local pageant winners from 50 regions throughout Russia. This year's contestants will converge on a spectacular venue next to Red Square to compete for the Miss Russia crown.
Since taking over the Miss Russia Pageant in 2004, Russian Standard has transformed the competition into one of the most popular and well regarded televised events in Russia. Significantly, the new pageant has refocused the duties of Miss Russia on charity efforts for the benefit of Russian people, which has brought a sense of national pride to the pageant.
"The Miss World slogan is 'Beauty With A Purpose,' and our very strong charitable purpose has assisted many underprivileged and handicapped children," said Julia Morley, the chairwoman of Miss World Limited. "This is the reason why we welcome the Russian Standard Corporation. We congratulate them on their efforts and look forward to receiving the newly elected Miss Russia to Miss World 2007."
"We are proud to partner with the Miss World pageant and for Miss Russia to personally represent our commitment to philanthropy in Russia and around the world," said Roustam Tariko, founder and chairman of Russian Standard Corporation, one of the country's most dynamic companies. "This is a terrific opportunity for our pageant winners to rise to the global stage and to share with the world some of the best attributes of our country."
The Miss World contest is watched by over 2 billion TV viewers in nearly 200 countries. The Miss World Pageant is steeped in history, crowning its first pageant winners more than 50 years ago.
About Russian Standard Corporation
Founded in 1992 by entrepreneur billionaire Roustam Tariko, Russian Standard Corporation is a multi-faceted conglomerate comprised of leading businesses in premium vodka, spirits distribution, banking and insurance and has developed the premiere consumer brand in Russia. Russian Standard vodka is the best-selling premium vodka in Russia, with over two-thirds share of the market, selling over 1.4 million cases per year. The company's spirits distribution arm is the leading importer of premium alcoholic beverages into the Russian market. Russian Standard Bank is the largest and most successful privately held bank in Russia with a presence in over 20,500 cities and urban-type communities in Russia. As the pioneer of Russian consumer finance, Russian Standard Bank is the country's top retail lending private bank, and the country's leading issuer of consumer credit cards.
About Miss World Limited
Miss World Limited is owned and operated by Julia Morley, who took over the organization after her husband Eric's death. Mrs. Morley has spearheaded the philanthropic direction of the Miss World winners, who collectively have raised more than $500 million for charitable causes. Miss World is franchised in more than 140 countries and commands the World's largest annual live TV audience.
Russian Standard Corporation
