Miss Uzbekistan mystery at Miss World

Mike Gallagher

Sep 14, 2013 - 22:13

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Officials in Tashkent say they have no idea who she 'Miss Uzbekistan' Rakhima Ganieva is. Picture: Miss World

RAKHIMA Ganieva, an 18-year-old beauty from Tashkent, has set a cat among the pigeons at this years Miss World competition.

Ganieva drew attention in her home country when she was named Uzbekistan"s first-ever representative in the Miss World competition, which began this week in Indonesia. But officials in Tashkent say they have no idea who she is.

Radio Free Europe report both the Uzbek Culture and Sports Ministry and Uzbekistan's national committee on women say they have no knowledge of Ganieva"s partipation in the Miss World contest, adding their nation does not have a contest to select a Miss Uzbekistan.

According to the Miss World official website, Miss Ganieva was bo and raised in the Uzbek capital Tashkent, \"loves to play the piano\" and enjoys \"playing tennis, travelling, and leaing history\".

She is a graduate of the Tashkent Professional College of Tourism and aspires to study law.

Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of Uzbek President Islom Karimov - with whom Ganieva has been compared - commented on Twitter that the Miss Uzbekistan representative is a \"Tajik-looking girl\" who \"appeared out of nowhere\".