After two major tournaments in Paraguay, the ATP Padel Tour is arriving in Europe with Monaco as the first stop.
The ATP Padel Tour is coming to the Principality from 5th to 11th April in an open tournament being played at Tennis Padel Soleil in Beausoleil. The circuit is a newcomer to the professional sports world and, as such, this is the first tournament in Europe. Monaco was honoured to be selected for the inaugural event on the continent.
Top players from around the globe will participate including the winners of the Paraguay Masters, top seeded team Gonzolo Alfonso and Federico Chiostri. The French will be heavily represented by Jérémy Ritz and Jean-Michel Pequery, Jérôme Inzerillo and Florian Valsot and Max Moreau and Julien Toniutti.
Some €35,000 in prize money will be distributed to the winners of the event.
“This will be a great opportunity to see new faces in action on the circuit, since several duos from different European countries have already confirmed their participation in the third test of our calendar,” ATP Padel Tour organisers said.
The event will follow the strictest health protocols in line with national regulations. As such, it will not be open to the public and must be played behind closed doors.
After Monaco, the tour moves onto Liege Belgium where a new ladies circuit will be included in the line-up.
The Scientific Centre of Monaco (CSM) and fashion powerhouse Chanel have signed a partnership agreement to develop research programs for Mediterranean red coral and help protect the species which has for centuries been used to make fine jewellery.
The partnership was announced on Wednesday as part of Monaco Ocean Week and sees the creation of a dedicated Research Unit on the Biology of Precious Corals at the CSM. It is responsible for researching the growth mechanisms and colour of Mediterranean red coral and for studying innovative solutions for its conservation.
For centuries, Mediterranean red coral has been harvested for decorative use. Coral jewellery has been found at ancient Egyptian sites and prehistoric European burials.
Today, there is still great demand for the intensely coloured red or pink-orange coral for jewellery.
“Red coral is today a Mediterranean natural treasure that must be protected,” said the CSM. “This scientific partnership between the CSM and Chanel is therefore part of this approach.”
Research findings gathered throughout the six-year programme will be published and available to all stakeholders.
Photo of Prof. Denis Allemand, Prof. Françoise Gaill, and Frédéric Grangie by Michael Alesi / Government Communication Department
Prince Albert and Pierre Casiraghi have officially welcomed Boris Herrmann back to the Principality where the German sailor is sharing his tales of completing the world’s most gruelling solo race, the Vendée Globe.
As skipper of the Monegasque vessel Seaexplorer-Yacht Club de Monaco, Boris Hermann brought ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ to life when he crossed the finish line of the Vendée Globe sailing race on 28th January with a time of 80 days, 14 hours, 59 minutes and 45 seconds, earning him a respectable fifth place.
Since then, he has kept a low profile, until Monday when he returned to the Yacht Club of Monaco (YCM) with Club President Prince Albert II and Vice President and fellow Malizia team member Pierre Casiraghi.
Prince Albert had kind words for Herrmann, saying, “I would like to congratulate Boris once again warmly for what he has accomplished, but I also wanted to thank the entire Malizia team which, under the leadership of Pierre Casiraghi, has been behind this project for more than four years.”
For two hours, Herrmann shared stories about his time alone on the sea, with tales about sleep management and culinary delights, as well as the difficulties of living with the constant sounds of the wind and waves. He said that this aspect “can drive the most seasoned sailor crazy” and talked about the tremendous amount of work that was necessary to prepare for the race.
Herrmann suffered a few setbacks during the race including being caught in the doldrums, having a mainsail tear rounding Cape Horn and a foil getting damaged during a collision just as he was coming into Les Sables d’Olonne to finish the race. He expressed his great relief at having finished the race in the end.
“In these moments, we wanted to help him. Especially since I was able to project myself very well and understand what was going on, thanks to our double races,” Pierre Casiraghi commented, commiserating with his friend.
Herrmann was the first captain to fly Monaco’s flag in the historically gruelling race. He also was amongst the first to have an onboard scientific laboratory to collect ocean samples from some of the world’s least travelled seas.
For his efforts, he was given an honorary membership card to the YCM.
Herrmann will remain in Monaco for the week, sharing his experiences with children of the yacht club and giving a presentation there on Friday as part of Monaco Ocean Week.
The Principality’s rugby expert Mark Thomas gives Monaco Life readers his take on this year’s Six Nations Championship heading in to Friday’s finale.
As the Covid crisis hopefully comes to a close over the coming months with vaccines and herd immunity, rugby fans are looking forward to the festival of rugby in the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France. Tickets are now on sale with rugby packages available to see your favourite team. These fans are also looking to the Lions tour this summer which may well end up being played in the UK.
So, what did we learn from this year’s Six Nations? Overall, we can say that it was an exciting Six Nations, with reputations gained and several heavy hitters knocked off their high perches. With the Lions selection weighing heavy on the shoulders of many rugby stars, the campaign will prove to be positive for many new faces, and disaster for established others.
Let’s start with England, the defending champions. The big question is: what happened? From their incredible historic performance in beating New Zealand in the semi-final of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, where has this team gone? It is essentially the same team, but the creativity, speed of thought, the enterprise, the off-loading, the lines of running have all gone. They looked like a rudderless ship. Farrell and Itoje, both touted as potential Lions captains, are now heavily down the pecking order. Farrell may even struggle to be selected given the talent available to Gatland.
Questions have obviously arisen over Eddy Jones’ tactics and selections. Picking on reputation and not on performance has bitten him in the proverbial backside. They are definitely “in transition”, as Jones said. They lost to Ireland, Scotland and Wales for the first time in many years in the same championship! Why young players like Marcus Smith of Harlequins and Exeter No 8 Sam Simmonds who was European Player of the Year last year were not selected or blooded is a point of concern for future experience. Strength in depth is of critical importance and it seems as if England have got weaker, not stronger.
A change of direction, the injection of some young blood, and new thinking and energy is surely necessary. Many big names will undoubtedly lose out on Lions selection, but expect Sinclair, George, Itoje, Curry, Underhill, Watson, May and Farrell to be selected.
For the Irish, beating England on the weekend in what was their best match of the championship was a strong way to finish. The experience and control of Murray, Sexton and the marauding forwards like Beirne, Stander, Henderson, and with Henshaw in the centre, the Irish took the game and dominated, all putting their hands up for Lions inclusion. They are all big game players and they all delivered, and the statistics back them up. Stander has most carries in the Six Nations with 72, Henshaw more than any back with 63, and turnovers won by Beirne, 10, and Henderson, 6, lead the packs.
Wales came so close to a grand slam with probably the greatest match of the championship in Paris last weekend. The incredible game provided a 30-32 finish in favour of the French in a confrontation that was intense, exciting, dramatic and physical. Wales have no doubt been the best of the British teams and the French showed their young team will be something special for when they host the 2023 Rugby World Cup. The Welsh team can hold their heads high with Pivac’s policy to blood new players for experience over the last 18 months paying dividends. Seen as no hopers, they showed how good they are becoming. The break through player Zammit Rees at 20 years of age has played his way onto the Lions tour for sure; he electrified the crowd whenever he got the ball. He is something special.
The mix of maturity and youth was on display in their disciplined try scoring performances – 20 tries in total for Wales. Alun Wyn Jones will surely lead the Lions and I expect he will be joined by several of his team mates – Owens, Faletau, Tipuric, Navidi, Tomos Williams, Biggar, Davies, North, and Williams.
Scotland still have a chance to help Wales win the Championship, but they will have to make history to beat the French in Paris on Friday night for that to happen. The French have to win by 21 points clear and score four tries for a bonus point.
So, for me it looks like Wales will win the Championship as I do not see the Scots lying down. I think they will deliver a Braveheart performance as many still play for Lions places including the mercurial and magical Finn Russell and Hogg perhaps as Lions captain. Watson on the flank has been outstanding and there are one or two forwards who could deliver something special. Here’s hoping Scotland do Wales a favour on Friday night!
Mark Thomas playing for Wales in the first World Cup 7s at Murrayfield in 1993
Mark Thomas played for Wales in the 1993 Sevens World Cup and played for clubs Swansea, Harlequins, London Welsh, Rosslyn Park, Cambridge University and Racing Club Nice before retiring and becoming the breakman in the Monaco bobsled team with Prince Albert for eight years.
The patio of the Hôtel de Paris is being magically transformed into a Japanese zen garden for the Cherry Blossom ‘Make a Wish’ charity event, featuring everything from sushi to origami for guests.
It will be east-meets-west in Monaco from Thursday 25th March to Saturday 10th April when the Hôtel de Paris opens its patio to The High Life Monaco, the organisers of the Japanese Cherry Blossom ‘Make a Wish’ themed charity event.
Cherry Blossom features several facets including food, workshops and traditional Make a Wish ceremonies including ema, a wooden plaque on which a wish is written to the Kami (deities). Customarily, it is hung on a portico at the entry of a temple.
There is also mikuji, a small strip of paper that predicts the future. Drawn at random, the paper decides the luck, good or bad, of the person who chose it for the year.
There will also be an open-air lunch daily from 11:30am to 3pm offering Japanese specialities including sashimi, nigiri, maki, moshis and more. Space will be limited due to social distancing, so reservations are required.
Additionally, the Monte-Carlo Catering boutique will be open daily throughout the event, with Chef Johannes and his team creating a range of Japanese sweet treats for all to enjoy. They have also made a selection of chocolate Easter delicacies available for take-away.
For younger guests, a greenhouse dedicated to the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation will be organised on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays for children to learn about ocean conservation.
Adults can also get in on the fun with creative and gourmet workshops including traditional flower arrangement classes, making personalised Japanese fans, origami paper folding art, making kokedama “moss spheres” to grow plants, paper tea box-making and calligraphy.
All proceeds of the event go to the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation’s Beyond Plastic Med (BeMed) initiative for clearing Mediterranean waters of plastic pollution.
For more information and to make reservations, visit https://www.montecarlosbm.com/en/agenda/cherry-blossom-patio-hotel-de-paris-monte-carlo or call +377 98 06 71 71.
Princess Caroline’s estranged husband, Prince Ernst August of Hanover, has received a 10-month suspended prison sentence and an order to undergo psychotherapy following violent outbursts against police and employees last summer in Austria.
Prince Ernst August of Hanover, whom Caroline separated from in 2009, was handed the sentence on Tuesday by an Austrian court for crimes including resisting state authority and grievous bodily harm. The 67-year-old was looking at up to three years in jail, but a judge leniently gave him a lesser sentence along with an order to undergo psychiatric treatment.
The head of one of Europe’s oldest families was convicted of injuring a police officer during an intervention in July 2020 at his hunting lodge in Grünau Austria whilst under the influence of medication and alcohol.
Less than a week later, he was charged with attempted assault on another police officer when he threatened to hit him with a baseball bat. In September, he was again arrested for threatening employees.
The Austrian court also banned Prince Ernst August from consuming alcohol and he will not be allowed to stay in his lodge whilst undergoing treatment.
The Prince apologised at the start of the hearing, however he decided to plead not guilty.
According to the Austrian Press Agency, Prince Ernst said to the court: “I would like to apologise for everything to those involved, I regret what happened and I am ready for the damage to come up. From my point of view, that says it all.”
His lawyers stated that the prince has undergone treatment since the incidents and cited isolation and betrayal by his son as the reasons for his behaviour.
His ongoing battle with his son, Ernst August, Jr, over property and possessions has made headlines in the past and the prince has repeatedly taken his son to court. Most recently, Ernst August filed a court petition over Marienburg Castle, which he had previously gifted to his son.
Meanwhile, it was recently announced that Ernst August Jr and his wife Ekaterina Malysheva are expecting their third child. A spot of happy news amidst the madness.
