28-year-old restaurateur Charl Van den Berg has beaten two dozen men from countries on every continent to become Mr. Gay World 2010. The new Mr. Gay World: South Africa's Charl Van den Berg The four-day contest concluded on Saturday night in the Norwegian capital Oslo, with the Australian representative - 25-year-old Byron Adu - as the first runner up. Other runners-up included men from Hong Kong, China and Spain. Challenges faced by contestants included a range of challengingindoor and outdoor activities to ensure the judges get chances to assess each candidate on qualities such as leadership, communication, compassion and positive attitude. The contest aims to find an ambassador who can speak out forgay equality on the global stage. The winner will have the opportunity to travel to various countries to support LGBT organisations and causes. "It's my aim to help break down stereotypes and differing mindsets in the global community and promote oneness and equality for all people by bridging the gap between those mindsets," says Van den Berg. "It is my understanding that people are people before we are different." 29-year-old Justin Savage represented New Zealand at the pageant, wearing an All Blacks' uniform of the final night. He says he hopes next year to assist the search for the next 'Mr. Gay New Zealand' for 2011's Mr. Gay World pageant, by facilitating voting in various Kiwi cities. On the video below: The guys take to the stage for the final of Mr. Gay World.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News Staff
First published: Monday, 15th February 2010 - 12:50pm