Blame riots on journalist, not Miss World, says organiser
The chairman of Miss World has vigorously denied that the beauty pageant caused the riots in Nigeria that left dozens of people dead.
Julia Morley says the contest has been used as a "political football" and blames a Nigerian journalist for inflaming the situation.
Trouble flared in Kaduna last Wednesday before spreading to Abuja, Nigeria's capital and the intended venue for the contest.
A newspaper article offended Muslims by claiming that had the prophet Muhammad been alive, he would have wanted to marry one of the beauty queens.
At a press conference held in the Sheraton Heathrow Hotel, Mrs Morley said: "It was not a mistake to hold it in Nigeria. What was a mistake was a journalist making a remark he shouldn't have made."
"I am sad about the riots, but does that mean you can't go anywhere in the world just because there might be a riot?
"Miss World can be used as a political football, sometimes in the name of religion, but usually for politics, if someone has an election coming up."
Mrs Morley says possible venues for the contest include Wembley Arena and Alexandra Palace but a decision has not yet been reached.
She added: "I will put up a tent in Hyde Park and do it from there if I have to."
