Ivory Coast’s Olivia Yace has announced she is stepping down as Miss Universe Africa & Oceania 2025, days after receiving the sash at the Miss Universe finale in Thailand.
Yace, who finished as fourth runner-up at the Nov. 21 pageant final, announced her decision in a statement posted to Instagram on Monday.
“As the representative of the Ivory Coast at the Miss Universe 2025 competition in Bangkok, I witnessed firsthand that I was capable of accomplishing great things despite adversity,” she wrote.
The Miss Ivory Coast Committee later confirmed Yace’s withdrawal “from all titles” in a statement on its official Facebook page, adding that she would formally return her Africa & Oceania sash to the organization.
Public discussion following the finale has included speculation that Yace’s strong performance during the question-and-answer round should have secured her a higher placement.
Yace’s announcement came after Brigitta Schaback, who was crowned Miss Universe Estonia 2025, revealed she was relinquishing her title, saying her “values and work ethics do not align” with those of national director Natalie Korneitsik.
These resignations add to a series of controversies surrounding this year’s Miss Universe competition. After the results were announced, French-Lebanese musician Omar Harfouch, who resigned from the judging panel before the final, called Bosch a “fake winner.” Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray also used her broadcast channel to question the relevance of the pageant’s question-and-answer segment.
