SLOVAK supermodel Adriana Sklenaříková.photo: TASR
AS SOON as the most beautiful girl of Slovakia 2002 was crowned on Joj TV on March 2, rival station TV Markíza began an advertising campaign for a new competition with different participants. On April 13, Slovakia will be introduced to another Miss Slovakia for the same year.
Two castings for two similar beauty contests broadcast on two television stations have confused contest participants as well local viewers, and have created tensions between their organisers since the split of Czechoslovakia in 1993. Every year several girls receive the Miss Slovakia title. So which Miss is the real one?
The organisers have no doubts. "Each Miss is the real one, they just advance to different international competitions. One goes to Miss World, another to Miss Universe. There are around 220 international titles in the Miss competition. As soon as we buy a licence for one of them for Slovakia, we can organise the competition at the national level," said Ivo Ladžinský from the Forza Production House.
Slovakia has held more than one Miss competition every year since 1993. This year Miss Slovakia 2002 is run by Oklamčák Production and Forza Production House, while Miss Slovakia Universe 2002 is run by former Miss Slovakia Silvia Lakatošová's In Agency. While Oklamčák's Miss advances to Miss World and Miss International, Lakatošová's Miss goes to Miss Universe.
Both beauty contests have been organised in their present form, side by side, since 1999. The organisers have been fighting for trade mark rights through the courts.
"Since the split of Czechoslovakia there have constantly been two or more Miss competitions every year. It was chaos. Our aim was and is to organise only one Miss competition," said Ladižinský.
With that aim, Forza Production House merged with Oklamčák Production in 1999. Before, both companies had run contests individually. They now want to merge with Lakatošová, but the two sides have not found agreement so far.
"In 1999 we thought we had succeeded. But then Lakatošová entered with her new competition," said Ladižinský. "Still, Miss Slovakia has better credit than the same competitions have in other countries. It's a big social event here that is closely followed. However, we are a small market. Oklamčák believed that in unity is power. We had the quality, Oklamčák had the tradition. I think Oklamčák realised that it's better to join forces rather than compete."
