Pecohub Sarah Dzafce has been stripped of her title as Miss Finland following a racially charged social media post, which she shared weeks after representing the country at the 2025 Miss Universe pageant.
On Thursday, Dec. 11, the Miss Finland organization released a statement disclosing the disciplinary action taken against Dzafce. The announcement — which was shared on the pageant’s Instagram page — followed a number of other official posts regarding a widely circulated photo of the beauty queen making a racist gesture.
“The title of Miss Finland held by Sarah Dzafce has been revoked as of today. This decision is not about a person’s human worth, but about responsibility. When an individual carries a national and international representative role, actions and responsibility are inseparable,” the pageant’s statement read in Finnish, as translated into English in the caption.
Days earlier, the organization collaborated with Dzafce on an apology post to Instagram. “I fully understand that my actions have caused ill will in many people and I am deeply sorry for that,” she began in her personal shared on Monday, Dec. 8. “I want to apologize especially to those who have been personally affected by this situation. That was not my intention in any way.”
She continued to claim the crown of Miss Finland and its accompanying responsibilities “for how I speak, how I act and how my actions can affect people,” wrote Dzafce, who represented her home country at the international level last month in Thailand, where the Miss Universe Organization crowned a new winner on Nov. 21.
“I know that I still have a lot to grow. One of the most important things for me is respect for people, their backgrounds and differences. What matters to me is that everyone can be themselves and be treated with dignity,” the now-former title holder said.
“In the future, I want to show more with actions than words what kind of Miss Finland I am,” she concluded. “A Miss Finland that unites, listens and meets people warmly. I will learn from this and promise to grow.”
The Miss Finland page continued to respond to the matter over the course of the week, with multiple posts apologizing and reiterating the pageant’s values.
