Blowout loss for AS Monaco

The Red and Whites had a bad night on Wednesday, losing in a blowout to Racing Club Lens on their own home turf.

AS Monaco suffered a disappointing 3-0 loss to RC Lens at Stade Louis II, their first loss at home this season. It was a tough game for the Red and Whites, who saw not only a superb goal scored by the opponents in the very first minute of play but let two more get through – all before halftime.

Issiaga Sylla scored the opening goal, then in the 34th Simon Banza scored, followed five minutes later by a beauty from Gaël Kakuta.

Even a switch up of players on the field couldn’t shake Monaco out of their bad night, despite a couple of great efforts by Youssouf Fofana around the hour mark.

Clearly this is a game best to be left in the rear view mirror. Coach Niko Kovac concurred with this sentiment, saying afterward, “When we are behind, we overthink things and we get away from playing instinctively a little. We must forget this match and play on Sunday like we’ve done in our previous outings. They did not become afraid to play soccer overnight. We all have to work together to get ahead and play with confidence.”

The Red and Whites have a chance at redemption on Sunday, when they face off against Dijon at an away game there.

 
Photo source: AS Monaco
 
 

Roca Team lose out

In an evenly matched game, Monaco went up against Moscow in a battle of titans that ended in a close game, but a sad defeat for the Principality.

The Roca Team had a heart-breaking loss against Moscow outfit Locomotiv Kuban on Wednesday. Unlike the blowout Monaco’s other sports team, AS Monaco, faced, the Roca Team lost by only two shots with a final score of 72-76.

Monaco played super well making 27 out of 67 shots but were a bit short on the three-pointers, only making six out of 25 attempts. Team Captain Dee Bost scored 18 points on the night, Mathias Lessort had 14 and JJ O’Brien 11.

Loco’s stats were pretty close to Monaco’s with 23 out of 53 shots made and five out of 17 three-pointers. Jordan Crawford was their high scorer with 17 points on the night, Mantas Kalietis had 14 and Reggie Lynch 11.

The team suffered with the loss of both Bost and Marcos Knight in the last quarter. With those powerhouses missing, the Russians had an easier time of it, and were victorious in the end, by a hair.

Despite the defeat, and thanks to an Andorran loss against Lithuania, Monaco are still in the running for third place in Group C. Monaco will need the win on Friday against Panevezys, and an Andorra win against Bologna, for them to take the bronze in the EuroCup 7.

 
Photo source: AS Monaco Basketball
 
 
 

CSM researcher wins new sciences prize

Monaco Scientific Centre’s Dr Celine Le Bohec has been awarded a scientific research prize for her 20-year work in the polar and sub-polar zones.

Dr Celine Le Bohec, a researcher at the Monaco Scientific Centre (CSM) and the Hubert Curien Pluridisciplinary Institute at Strasbourg University, has received the very first Academy of Sciences award for her studies in the Antarctic.

The award is given to young scientists who have “made a significant contribution to research in the polar or subpolar regions.”

Dr Le Bohec’s work centres on assessing the state of the polar ecosystem’s health and has been ongoing since the early 2000s. She has been collecting her data through long-term monitoring on both land and sea of marine birds such as penguins and petrels who have been severely affected by climate change and other “human pressures” such as pollution and over-fishing.

The study’s aim is to provide tools and action plans that will help preserve the polar environment, as well follow the adaptation potential for the indigenous species populations.

The award will be shared with all the winter and doctoral students that the doctor has worked with in her 20-year study. It was given by Météo- France (CNRM Toulouse), CNRS – INSU, IFREMER, Institut Polaire Français Paul-Emile Victor (IPEV), Association Expeditions Polaires Françaises (EPF), Association A3 (Alumni and Friends of CNRS), the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the Oceanographic Institute – Albert I Foundation and a contribution from Frederik Paulsen.

 
Photo (taken before Covid): HSH the Prince surrounded by Prof. Nils Christian Stenseth, Prof. Le Maho, Prof. Denis Allemand (Scientific Director of the CSM) and Dr. Céline Le Bohec (CSM) Credit: Gaëtan Luci / Prince’s Palace
 
 

Prince boosts emissions target by 5%

Monaco has just upped the ante in the fight against global warming, with Prince Albert raising the Principality’s target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 55% come the year 2030.  
On the 5th anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement on 12th December, Prince Albert took part in the Climate Ambition Summit, a virtual event jointly organised by the United Kingdom, France and the General Secretariat of the United Nations, with the support of Chile and Italy.
The summit served as an opportunity to maintain a high level of climate ambition ahead of the C.O.P. 26 in Glasgow in November 2021, which has been postponed for a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
It brought together more than 70 heads of state and government officials to present their national commitments in the fight against climate change.
Only countries announcing real increases in their national strategies were able to take the floor. Prince Albert of Monaco therefore took the opportunity to unveil his new objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Monaco to 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. This new ambition replaces the initial aim of a 50% reduction over the same period, set in 2015.
The Prince also confirmed Monaco’s commitment to become carbon neutral by 2050 and to maintain a high level of international funding to help strengthen the adaptation and mitigation capacities of countries most vulnerable to climate change.
 
Photo taken from Prince Albert’s speech during the Climate Ambition Summit
 
 

Using sustainability to regain ground

Faced with a 63% “free fall” in accommodation revenue, Monaco’s Tourism and Congress Department plans to reconquer the market by “rethinking the model” and place sustainability at the heart of its global strategy.
Monaco’s Department of Tourism and Congress (DTC) held its annual meeting on 14th December, with assessment, strategy and responsible tourism on the agenda.
Due to the health situation, representatives of the international offices were not physically present for the meetings, but were able to join in via the Grimaldi Forum’s new digital platform.
Only the opening presentation, ‘Assessment and Strategy’ mixed face-to-face and distance participation at the Grimaldi Forum.
In the presence of Minister of Finance and the Economy Jean Castellini and Ambassador to China Marie-Pascale Boisson, Director of Tourism and Congress Guy Antognelli revealed a detailed assessment of the consequences of the pandemic on Monaco as a destination and outlined the strategies put in place for the year 2021.
“With Covid-19, the global tourism industry has been impacted well beyond what was felt during the last two major crises, in 2001-2002 following the World Trade Centre attacks and in 2009 following the financial crisis,” said Guy Antognelli.
He revealed that at the end of November 2020, hotel room occupancy figures for the year were down 59%, room prices were down 10.5%, and revenue per room was “in free fall of 63%”.
Before laying out the strategy for the coming years, the DTC director commended the work of the tourism and congress department teams, both in Monaco and abroad, and all professionals in Monaco’s tourism industry, “who were keen to constantly adapt, preserving the destination’s positioning and seizing the opportunities created by the crisis while looking ahead to recovery.”
That recovery, he said, involves various strategic initiatives and phases to “reconquer the market”, the reconstruction of which “requires a rethinking of the model”.
So, when will Monaco return to pre-crisis levels? “The International Air Transport Association estimates that by 2025, or 2027 at worst, air capacity will be re-established, which represents 75% of our customers,” said Mr Antogenelli.
While the future remains uncertain in this regard, there is one thing that is certain for the DTC. Any long-term recovery strategy must be rooted in social and environmental responsibility.
The basis of this strategy will be a White Paper, which will be created by the DTC in cooperation with the Energy Transition Mission, the Environment Department, various tourism partners of the Principality, and François Tourism Consultants who specialises in sustainable development.
The paper will highlight responsible tourism in commercial development strategies “to participate, directly or indirectly, in all the sustainable development objectives set by the UN (…) [and] to better respond to the demands of a sensitive and demanding clientele on this theme.”
 

Photo: Government Communications Department / Michaël Alesi

 

MEB business awards

The 9th Eco Club Trophies have been awarded to local businesses that have “adapted to an unprecedented context by demonstrating resilience and creativity”.

Jointly organised by the Monaco Economic Board (MEB) and the Nice-Matin Group, seven companies were honoured at the Grimaldi Forum in November for their resilience in a year unlike any we have ever seen. For this, the 9thedition, the Eco Club altered the names of the awards to be more in line with the challenges of the past year.

As such, the International and Outreach of Monaco trophies have been changed this year and replaced by the Economic Rebound and Covid Solidarity Prize trophies.

Master of Ceremonies, Guillaume Rose, the Executive Director General of MEB, welcomed the two guests on this evening. The first being the Editorial Director of the Nice-Matin Group, Denis Carreaux who aptly stated that “despite the circumstances, it seemed essential to us to maintain this meeting which each year celebrates the dynamism, variety and creativity of the Monegasque economy.”

Then MEB President Michel Dotta ended his welcoming remarks with a quote from Margaret Drabble: “When you are sure of nothing, anything is possible.”

A short presentation produced by the technical team and Monaco Info was then shown and the awards were presented.

The winners of the 2020 Monaco-Matin Eco Club Trophies are:

‘Sustainable Development’ Trophy: Phytoquant – Nicola Frassanito

‘Innovation’ Trophy: Orbital Solutions Monaco – Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio and Francesco Bongiovanni

‘Economic rebound’ Trophy: Bettina – Philippe Prud’Homme 

‘Made in Monaco’ Trophy: TMC – Olivier Mercier

‘Managers of the year’ Trophy: Monaco Asset Management – Gian Luca Braggiotti and Anthony Stent Torriani

‘Special Jury Prize’ Trophy: Association of Women’s Business Managers of Monaco – Hilde Haneuse

‘Covid Solidarity Prize’ Trophy: Monegasque Sanitation Society – Edgar Enrici

 

Photo credit: MEB / Carte Blanche