Rolene Strauss Of South Africa (C) Is Miss World 2014
Rolene Strauss of South Africa (C) is crowned Miss World 2014 by Miss World 2013, Megan Young of the Philippines (C rear), as Elizabeth Safrit of the U.S (R) and Edina Kulczar of Hungary (L) who placed third and second respectively, look on at the ExCel Centre in east London, December 14, 2014. Contestants from 126 countries are in London to compete in the 2014 Miss World competition, the 63rd time the annual event has taken place. Reuters/Toby Melville

The Miss World Competition is trying something new: no more swimsuit portion! For the first time in 63 years, Miss World contestants would not be sashaying down the runway in their tiny two-piece swimsuits and showing off their toned and slim figures anymore.

The organisation behind the competition is removing one of the most-awaited portions of the pageant, the swimsuit competition, as was announced by the organisation's chairman, Julia Morley. According to ABC News, Chris Wilmer, the national director of Miss World America, asserted that there is a rationale behind this sudden decision. "The organisation has decided to take itself out of the swimsuit world because it isn't the path they're trying to take," he said. Wilmer clarified that the competition is not solely about beauty. Rather, it's "beauty with a purpose." The national director claimed that having a swimsuit portion seems not to have a purpose.

In lieu of focussing on what two-piece they would opt to wear on such portion, Chris Wilmer said the organisation wants the ladies to focus more on charity work and raising awareness to their valuable causes. Chris also told ABC News that the Miss World title holder should be more of a "spokesperson" and an "ambassador" than a "beauty queen." This means that instead of focussing on the beauty and sexy aspect of being the queen, Miss World should be doing more for the community and speaking out for the concerns of the community. The woman who would gain the title of Miss World should be engaged more in outreach, Wilmer said.

The national director also lauded the Miss World Organisation for doing something unexpected and modern. "Pageantry is an age-old industry and I think with Julia getting rid of swimsuit and making it more of a lifestyle competition sends a strong message and I applaud her for it," he said.

Rolene Strauss of South Africa was crowned the 64th Miss World on Dec. 14. The 22-year-old medical student turned Miss World 2014 had since thanked her African heritage for her win. With the current announcement, this makes it the final event of the organisation wherein contestants had to look svelte for the swimwear portion.