You can have my crown... er, maybe not

IT WAS her crowning moment: Miss Melissa Wong beat 25 rivals and was named Miss Malaysia Model of the World 2009 on Sunday.

BEAUTIES AND THEIR CROWNS: New Miss Malaysia Model Madelyne Nandu and Miss Melissa Wong, who gave up the title. PICTURE: GUANGMING DAILY

But hours later, as she was about to sign a contract to represent her country at the international contest in China, the 22-year-old fashion designer from Kuala Lumpur said she wanted to give up the crown.

Her reason? She has a spinal cord problem, for which she had surgery a few years ago, and she was afraid her back could not take the winter cold in China. The world pageant will be held there from 2 to 23Nov.

She told the New Straits Times: 'I did it with a heavy heart, but I cannot take the risk of worsening my condition.'

And so the crown was passed on to Miss Madelyne Nandu from Sabah.

Then on Monday, at a press conference to announce the swap, Miss Wong changed her mind, reported The Star.

She wanted to go to China after all, she said, shocking the contest organisers. She said she believed she was strong enough to make the trip.

But the organisers declared Miss Nandu the winner anyway and Miss Wong was named first runner-up.

Ms Choong May Teng, the director of contest producer Star Avenue Production, said those involved had stayed up till 4am on Monday to sort out the matter.

'She must be fair to everyone,' said Ms Choong, adding that Miss Wong had not been totally honest with officials from the start, and that they could have stripped her of the title instead of making her the first runner-up.

The pageant's chief judge, Mr Laurens Zheng of Singapore, told NST he was disappointed with Miss Wong for failing to disclose her health problems when she signed up.

He said: 'This is the first time in my 20-year career as a beauty contest judge that a winner had to relinquish her crown just hours after her victory. This is a hassle, giving problems to everyone.'

Asked why she entered the pageant in the first place, Miss Wong told reporters she wanted to try her luck and had not expected to win the contest.

As the winner of the contest, Miss Nandu won RM4,000 ($1,600), a return air ticket to China and sponsored gifts. Miss Wong's first runner-up prizes include RM2,000 and sponsored gifts.

Model Eleen Yong, 22, from Malacca was the second runner-up in the beauty pageant.