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The MANHUNT CONTEST started
off in 1987, when Alex Liu, pageant director of Metromedia
Singapore, decided to stage the first male model contest in Singapore.
There were numerous pageants for women and nothing for the men. So Liu
carefully planned and engineered his first Manhunt contest in Singapore
and it became an overnight success. |
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The Manhunt competition gave
new opportunities in advertising and promoting of male related products
and services in a refreshing and macho way. It is a very popular and number
one male pageant in Singapore today. The Manhunt Singapore contest has
since grown in terms of sponsorship and numbers of participants, it also
branched out with a Senior Manhunt category in 1991 for the established
and debonair gentlemen above 30-years-old. Senior Manhunt is for Singapore
only. |
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Manhunt became International
in 1993. It was first held in Australia's Gold Coast in 1993, when
Germany's Thomas Sasse took the first Manhunt International title from
25 contestants. In 1994, the pageant remained in Australia's Gold Coast
when Nikos Papadakis of Greece won. The Manhunt International Event is
a joint partnership with our Australian partner, Procon Leisure International
Pty Ltd, headed by Mr. Rosko Dickinson. |
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The pageant saw one of its most
successful year in November 1995 when 35 of the world's most hunted males
came to Sentosa Island, Singapore to compete for the prestigious title.
The cash award and prizes for 1995's winner alone exceeded $100,000.00.
South Africa's Albe Geldenhuys won that year. And India's Dino Morea came
a close first runner up. The Manhunt International 1995 world final was
televised on television in Singapore and 38 countries with an estimated
420 million viewers worldwide. Newspapers and magazines unanimously agreed
that the time for a male contest had come. Their headlines screamed THE
MANHUNT IS ON! |
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Manhunt International 1996 World
Final was to be held in Singapore between 20th December 1996 to 1st January
1997 as a New Year's Special. However, Singapore had its General Elections
in that same period. The event was postponed to May 1997 so that the World
Final's publicity will not be overshadowed by the Singapore elections. |
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The Manhunt International 1997
was held in Singapore with 38 countries participating. It was an exciting
event with lots of drama and colors. The World Final was held on the 23rd
May 1997. The winner was Jason Erceg from New Zealand while the first runner
up was Sandro Finnochio from Venezuela who later became Mr. World in 1998.
The event was televised on the 24th May 1997 to more than 50 countries
to 500 million viewers worldwide. |
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In 1999, the World Final left
the shores of Singapore and Australia to Manila, Philippines in May. Here
43 countries competed at the PICC where Ernesto Calzadilla from Venezuela
became the first Latin American to win the Manhunt International title
and India's John Abraham took second spot. This is the second time, India
has come so close to winning the crown. |
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In 2000, the contest returned
to Singapore and at the World Final in September 2000, Brett Wilson from
Australia won the contest at the Neptune Theatre Restaurant. |
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The 2001 Manhunt International
contest was held on the 12th November at the Beijing Poly Theatre in the
People's Republic of China and was viewed by an audience of 2,600 guests
and 500 International and local press. The World Final will be televised
to 500 million people in China alone. |
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India's Rajeev Singh won the
Manhunt International 2001 title and he also bagged the Best National Costume
Award and the Sharmoon Best in Evening Suit Award. Finally the title which
eluded India so many times since they first participated in the contest
since 1994 had returned home to India with Rajeev's victory. Rajeev has
the distinction of being the first Asian to win the Manhunt International
title. |
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On the 14th December 2002, in
the city of Shanghai - China, Fabrice Bertrand Wattez from France beat
46 other countries to become Manhunt International 2002/03. The world final
was held at the prestigious Shanghai Grand Theatre, which is an icon of
the Performing Arts in China. Shanghai TV broadcasted the event, to 24
TV broadcasting stations and to over 500 million viewers. |
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The Manhunt International
2003 contest was to be held in Shanghai, China but due to the
outbreak of SARS, the event was cancelled. In the year 2004,
there was a serious outbreak of Avian Bird Flu, so we decided
to put off the 2004
world finals in view of the safety of the contestants.
On the 8th September 2005, the City of Busan - Korea hosted
the Manhunt International 2005 World Final and it was held as
one of the pre-events of the APEC Summit - (Asia Pacific Economic
Conference)which the City of Busan, Korea was hosting.
Tolgahan Sayisman from Turkey won the coveted
Mercedes Benz - Manhunt International 2005.
The Manhunt International 2005 world finals was sponsored by
Mercedes Benz and Parkland Men's Stores.
During the Manhunt International 2005 World final night, it
was announced that the City of Jinjiang, Fujian Province, China
will be hosting the Manhunt International 2006 World Finals
on the 20th April 2006.
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The Manhunt international 2006 was held in Jin Jiang , Fujian Province China.
This is the third time China hosted Manhunt International.
A total of 54 countries participated and it was broadcasted to 1 billion viewers world wide.
Jaime Augusto Mayol of USA became the winner.
The Manhunt International 2007 was held on the 10th February 2007 in Kangwonland, Korea.
A total of 48 countries participate in the first ever winter manhunt international.
It was held as part of the bidding activity for the 2014 Pyeong Chang Winter Olympics games.
Jeffrey Zheng Yu Guang of China became the second Asian to win Manhunt International since it began in 1993.
The event was sponsored by Kangwonland Casino Resorts, Andre Kim and BMW - South Korea.
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| More excitement coming soon... |
