Miss World 2006

 Miss World 2006

 

Miss World 2006, the 56th Miss World pageant was held at Sala Kongresowa, the main 2,897-seat auditorium at the Palace of Culture and Science, Warsaw, Poland on the September 30, 2006. It was the first time ever that the pageant was held in a European city other than London, United Kingdom, having previously been held there in 2002 after the Nigeria Controversy. The pageant officially concluded after Taťána Kuchařová from the Czech Republic was crowned Miss World 2006 by outgoing titleholder Unnur Birna Vilhjálmsdóttir of Iceland.
A total of 104 countries competed in the pageant, the sixth largest number behind 2009 (112), 2008 (109), 2004 (107) and 2007 and 2003 (both 106). All contestants were divided in six regional groups: Africa, Americas, Asia Pacific, Caribbean, Northern Europe and Southern Europe.
Gdynia was the host of the Beach Beauty contest, Giżycko hosted the Miss Sports contest and Wrocław hosted the Miss Talent competition. The fourth event was Beauty With A Purpose.

Tatana Kucharova - Czech Republic
Tatána Kucharová won the title of Miss Czech Republic and Miss World 2006. In doing so, she became the first woman from the Czech Republic to win the title at the final event of the Miss World competition, held on September 30, 2006, in Warsaw, Poland. Kucharová beat 103 other women in voting among a panel of judges and from television viewers around the world during a two-hour finals ceremony in the Polish capital, where the president of Warsaw watched the finals, and presented the new Miss World with a scroll, dubbing her as an honorary ambassador of Warsaw, and asking her to carry a message of peace around the world. Kucharová, a 177cm tall high-school student with long blond hair, was born in Trnava, Slovakia and grew up in the town of Opocno, Czech Republic. She told the judges that she wants to attend university and then become a model, which she hopes will enable her to travel. She likes tennis and horse riding and has many pets, including a turtle, bird, many cats, rabbits and guinea pigs. Her personal motto is "Always be an optimist." Tatána handed over her crown on December 1, 2007, to the next Miss World, Zhang Zilin of China in Sanya, China. Among the nations she has travelled to during her reign were her very own Czech Republic, besides Poland, United Arab Emirates, Mexico, United States, China, England, Northern Ireland, Russia, Sri Lanka and Latvia.