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Day: 4 December 2016

IAAF in Monaco on track for reform

by: Cassandra Tanti
04/12/2016
HSS Prince Albert with IAAF World Athletes of the Year Almaz Ayana and Usain Bolt , and IAAF President Seb Coe. Photo: Facebook IAFF
HSS Prince Albert with IAAF World Athletes of the Year Almaz Ayana and Usain Bolt , and IAAF President Seb Coe. Photo: Facebook IAFF

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), meeting in Monaco on Saturday, successfully adopted a comprehensive reform package to combat its reputational problems in the wake of major doping and corruption scandals.

IAAF President Sebastian Coe said that the 182 to 10 vote was “a very important moment in the history of our sport”. He added: “This is a ringing endorsement of our commitment to do things differently. We now have structures, frameworks and foundations that will create a safety net.”

An “integrity unit” and a disciplinary panel will be introduced, according to the plan.

Mr Coe’s predecessor, Lamine Diack, is currently under house arrest in France, suspected of taking money to keep quiet about allegations of systematic doping by Russian athletes.

However, Saturday’s meeting came too late for sportswear company Adidas, which on Friday confirmed it would be ending sponsorship of the IAAF, despite strenuous efforts by the international governing body to keep the firm on board.

The deal was due to run until 2019 and was worth tens of millions of dollars. Meanwhile, the IAAF announced on Saturday a multiple-year partnership with the global designer and manufacturer of sporting goods ASICS.

ASICS President and CEO Motoi Oyama stated: “I am so happy to have the honour of supporting the IAAF as an Official Partner. We at ASICS hope to both develop excellent products and contribute to the growth the sporting world as a whole by supporting athletics around the globe as an Official Partner of the IAAF.”

At the IAAF’s awards ceremony Friday evening in Monaco, HSH Prince Albert presented the IAAF Male World Athlete of the Year Award 2016 to Usain Bolt, while Ethiopian Almaz Ayana, who “shattered” the 10,000-metres world record that had stood for 23 years at the Rio Olympics, won the female category.

Landmark meeting in Monaco this week

by: Cassandra Tanti
04/12/2016

PrinceAlbertThe framework meeting of the Special Report on Climate Change and Oceans and the Cryosphere of the IPCC – the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – will be held from December 6 to 9 in Monaco.

The important meeting will bring together some 100 experts from 40 countries and HSH Prince Albert and Lei Hoesung, President of the IPCC, will deliver keynote addresses at the opening ceremony. A plenary session, open to the media and observers, will be held from 9 am to 10 am.

“Monaco has long supported research as an important axis of its policy … We have carried out an important work of conviction in favour of the establishment of a report by the IPCC on the oceans and the cryosphere,” said Prince Albert on World Oceans Day in June 2016.

“Oceans cover 70 percent of the Earth’s surface and play a key role in climate regulation. They provide food and livelihoods to millions of people. This very relevant policy report will improve our understanding of the Oceans and the Cryosphere, especially regarding sea-level rise,” said Lee Hoesung. The drafting of this report is expected to be completed in 2019.

The report, a Monegasque initiative for which Prince Albert, His Government and the Prince Albert II Foundation have been working since January 2015, is a long-awaited step towards taking the oceans into account in the face of climate change.

Cryosphere (from the Greek kryos meaning cold and ice) is a term collectively denoting those portions of the earth’s surface where water is present in the solid state. It includes pack ice, frozen lakes and rivers, snow covered areas, glaciers and frozen necks.

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No deal signed, says Monaco’s Automobile Club

by: Cassandra Tanti
04/12/2016

acmheadThe Automobile Club de Monaco has issued a statement denying that the TCR International Series will race on the Monaco Circuit in 2017, after WSC Ltd, the TCR International Series promoter announced at the beginning of last week that the fourth event of the season would take place on May 28 on the famous Monte Carlo street circuit, on the sidelines of the FIA Formula One World Championship.

The Automobile Club has now published a statement which denies that a contract has been signed, according to a number of racing news sources, including touringcars.net.

“The Automobile Club de Monaco absolutely contradicts this untrue information. No contact has ever been made between TCR International Series and the Automobile Club de Monaco.

“For this reason, at the FIA World Motor Sport Council held in Vienna on November 30, 2016, the Automobile Club de Monaco clarified, during the vote on the International Series’ calendars, to not register the TCR International Series on the Circuit de Monaco.”

The TCR International Series is an international Touring Car championship, according to its organisers.

Fundraiser Tuesday for St Paul’s Monte Carlo

by: Cassandra Tanti
04/12/2016
Father Walter Raymond OGS told Monaco Life, “I’m genuinely moved by everyone’s generosity, particularly His Serene Highness, who is sincerely helping the cause.”
At the Lift Appeal February 2016, Father Walter Raymond OGS told Monaco Life, “I’m genuinely moved by everyone’s generosity, particularly His Serene Highness, who is sincerely helping the cause.”

It was a Monday evening ten months ago, in February 2016, when Prince Albert graciously paid a visit to some 40 parishioners of St Paul’s Monte Carlo, at 22 avenue de Grande Bretagne, in support of the church’s elevator appeal, for which the Prince is patron.

His Serene Highness told Monaco Life: “I used to read children’s stories at Christmas [at the church] but not so often now. There is great history with the church and its community and we need to improve accessibility for all community centres and worship centres. I hope the message gets out to help the appeal.”

The cost of the ecologically designed church elevator – which will have a capacity of 8, or 4-5 people with a wheelchair – is estimated at €250,000 and will aid the elderly and those with limited mobility to participate in activities.

Now, after many months of planning and in obtaining official permissions, “jack hammers bit into cement two weeks ago” as work on the St Paul’s Library Lift has begun in earnest, with a working lift in place probable by mid-May 2017.

To celebrate the beginning of the installation work, Samantha Stirling, and her Library Lift Campaign Committee, are organising a cocktail fundraiser Tuesday, December 6, at 6 pm, in the Chaplain’s Apartment, located one floor below the church.

“The cocktail is open to everyone, but it is a fundraiser,” Ms Stirling told Monaco Life. “The lift will provide easier access to the St Paul’s Church Library, which is used by many different groups of people.”

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