The Miss International 2012 Beauty Pageant Chongqing, an event which went largely unnoticed until micro bloggers posted photos of the winners online, has attracted widespread criticism, both with regard to the legitimacy of the contest itself and the winners selected from it.

The beauty selection was dubbed a "not-beauty selection", with many bloggers claiming that it failed to select a "genuine" beauty in a city famous for its pretty women.

"These three [contestants] were the deserved winners after rounds of grading," said Lan Rong, a representative from Chongqing's pageant organizing committee. "The winners don't look so good in the photo because of some technical problems," she added. "The three winners are all beautiful, and the queen has an international style. They will represent Chongqing in the national final rounds in August, so please don't put too much pressure on them. "

Many blog users also expressed their doubts as to the legitimacy of the competition. However, Lan Rong denied suspicious over "hidden rules", saying that the competition was very much a level playing field.

Lan Rong also confirmed that contestants' final grades would be made public "at the right time."

She told journalists that nearly 1,000 applicants attended the initial audition, with only 50 remaining at the quarter-final stage, and 20 for the final. However, according to one of the pageant judges, who wished to remain anonymous, there were fewer than 200 applicants at the initial audition.

As for the "organizing fee" of 600,000 yuan (US$ 95,000) that the Chongqing Lvxing Film and TV Production Co., Ltd paid to the organizing committee of China, Lan Rong explained that such sponsorship deals are perfectly legitimate practices where such events are concerned.

However, files housed in the local bureau of industry and commerce show that the organization of beauty pageants and their related operations are not within Chongqing Lvxing Film and TV Production Co., Ltd's scope of business.

(China.org.cn by Guo Jiali July 18, 2012)

原本無人關注的2012國際小姐重慶區比賽近日成為國人矚目的焦點。有網友將此次選美前三甲的照片貼在微博上，引發了社會對于比賽正規性和獲勝者相貌的批評。

此次選美被人們戲稱為“選丑”。網友們宣稱，主辦方在重慶這樣盛產美女的地方，竟然選不出一位真正的美女。

國際小姐重慶賽區組委會負責人藍蓉表示，前三甲的產生經過了幾輪評選，是實至名歸的。她說，由于一些技術方面的因素，致使三甲照片的效果不盡人意。“事實上前三名都是很優秀的女孩，冠軍很有國際范兒。”藍蓉補充說，前三名選手將于今年八月代表重慶參加中國賽區總決賽。她們在此次事件中承受了巨大壓力，希望網民能予以呵護。

很多博客用戶質疑比賽的正規性。藍蓉否認此次選美存在所謂的“潛規則”。她說，這是一次公平競爭。

藍蓉確認，組委會將在“合適的時候”公布決賽打分表。

藍蓉稱，比賽海選有近千人報名，經篩選剩下50人進入復賽，最后20強進入決賽。然而，據大賽一位不愿透露姓名的評委稱，此次比賽的海選報名者不足200人。

藍蓉承認重慶旅星影視節目制作有限公司向第52屆國際小姐中國大賽中國區組委會繳納了60萬元的“承辦費”，從而取得了重慶賽區的承辦權。她解釋說，國際小姐是一項正常的商業活動，所以有贊助協議是很正常的事情。

然而，據重慶市工商局檔案處的資料顯示，重慶旅星影視節目制作有限公司的經營范圍并不包括承辦選美比賽及相關經營項目。