Miss Universe has denied claims that Saudi Arabia will be participating in the annual beauty pageant. Saudi model Rumy Alqahtani announced last week she would be participating in Miss Universe 2024, making the kingdom’s debut appearance in the competition. In a statement on its site, Miss Universe called the claims “false and misleading”, saying that no selection process has been conducted in Saudi Arabia. “While Saudi Arabia is not yet among those countries fully confirmed participating this year, we are currently undergoing a rigorous vetting process qualifying a potential candidate to be aw…