SOUTH AFRICAN MAN WINS MR. GAY WORLD SHOW

AFRICA ABROAD ¨C 15 January 2010: 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 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 challenging indoor 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, who represented New Zealand at the pageant, 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.

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