Miss Peru send her representative, Mary Núñez, to the Miss Universe Pageant, because she was prevented from participating by the president of the republic, Juan Velasco Alvarado. He considered the contest was the product of American capitalism, and a country with which he did not have good relations. This was the only occasion in which a Miss Peru did not participate in the Miss Universe except for the 1955 and 1974, when no contest was held. Given the refusal of Alvarado, Mary Núñez was sent to Miss World 1973 in London, England. In 1982, Peru became the first South American country to
Juan Velasco Damas Juan Velasco Damas Juan Velasco Damas (born 17 May 1977) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a right back, and is a manager. He played for seven clubs during his professional career, appearing in 213 matches in La Liga and scoring one goal. He also competed abroad in England and Greece. Velasco represented Spain at Euro 2000. Born in Dos Hermanas, Province of Seville, Velasco started representing professionally local giants Sevilla FC, appearing in 13 La Liga matches in the 1996–97 season, which ended in relegation. His league debut occurred on 5 March 1997 in a 0–2 away