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Day: 22 February 2022

“Prince Albert advised me to make the most of the experience”

by: Luke Entwistle
22/02/2022
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Following his sensational performance at the Winter Olympics, Monaco Life caught up with skier Arnaud Alessandria to discuss his experience in Beijing, what it meant to have Prince Albert’s support, and his hopes for winter sports in the Principality.

Arnaud Alessandria returns from the Beijing Winter Olympics a record-breaker. His 13th place in the Men’s Combined race cemented his place in the history books, becoming the highest ranked Monegasque skier at an Olympic Games. Between hoisting the Monegasque flag during the opening ceremony, and securing great results in the Men’s Downhill (29th) and the Super-G (31st), it has been a hectic couple of weeks for this 28-year-old.

How did you feel arriving in China?

It was a bit complicated actually getting to the Olympic village. There were lots of controls, lots of documents to fill in as well as everyday tests. Once we were there in the village itself, I expected more constraints. But we only had one test a day, so it wasn’t that disruptive. In the village we were completely free, we could move around as we wanted, around the training sites, which was good.

How did the restrictions surrounding Covid affect your everyday life?

It was a bit disconcerting, because we don’t treat it the same over here. They disinfect everything all the time, for example after meals, which were consumed between plastic partitions. It was all done very quickly though. The only constraint was the daily test, but being free to take it at any point in the day allowed us to go about our business normally. It wasn’t so constraining, which was something we were worried about, having lots more things to manage on top of the event and the competition itself, but it was actually very well managed. It allowed us to just concentrate on ourselves, and on what we needed to do.

Arnaud Alessandria carrying the Monaco flag during the Beijing Winter Olympics

As a Monegasque athlete, what was it like to be the flag-bearer for your country?

It was just great! There were a lot of emotions entering the stadium with the flag. We were told that Prince Albert would be in the stands, so I concentrated on the flag and not messing up my footing. Because of that, I didn’t even see him. It was great that he was in the stadium though. We, in the stadium, couldn’t benefit from the spectacle as much as the viewers on the TV, but it’s just magnificent that he was there.

The flag itself wasn’t too heavy, but there was a bit of wind in the stadium so I was scared that the flag was going to move around me. I really had to concentrate!

What did it mean to have the support of Prince Albert II there, and what advice did he give you?

It was just great knowing that our Sovereign was there for us, there to encourage us. It was beautiful, really beautiful, because he’s a head of state and has a lot of obligations and duties, but he took the time to come to us, which is magical.

The only thing he told me was to make the most of it, on a profound level, and to enjoy myself. He knows the Winter Olympic Games, he knows what they’re about, and he said that I mustn’t forget to make the most of the moment, which is a crazy experience. It’s true that if we focus too much on our races, and what we have to do, then we forget to enjoy it. So, he reminded me to make the most of the event and to enjoy it.

Your event was initially postponed due to wind. How did you manage that?

When there are postponements like that, it uses up quite a bit of energy, because we were up there at 8:30am getting to know the track and warming-up. People think that because it’s been cancelled or postponed that it’s another day of rest, but it isn’t, you’ve actually used up energy. It is something that we in skiing are used to. We’re an outdoor sport so we rely a lot on the weather, and we often have long waits and postponements. The postponement didn’t affect me though, we have learnt to manage that with experience, and it’s the same for everyone else.

How was the course, the snow?

The course itself is really very pretty. I saw the images on the TV, and it looks great on there as well. The snow was just perfect. There were snow makers as well, and they said they were preparing the course four months in advance. The run didn’t degrade at all over the course of the training sessions and the competitive runs, so that really gave a chance to everyone, making it a very equal course. It was a bit more complicated in terms of the wind, which we were warned about in advance, and of course that can’t be managed.

Arnaud Alessandria competing at the Beijing Winter Olympics, photo source Monaco Olympic Committee

Did the weather impact your run?

From the inside, it’s very hard to tell. When you’re skiing downhill at 100km/h, if there’s a bit of wind, you don’t realise. When I watched back the video of the descent, I saw that I made an error in the top part of the run, and on the low part there was a bit more wind. It was a part of the course where I was quicker in training, and I lost nine tenths on the last intermediate. So that played a role to an extent, but that’s how it is, it’s sport, it’s racing, it’s skiing. Sometimes you need a bit of luck with the elements.

Were you happy to hit your pre-Games objective?

I was happy in terms of my ranking. At the lower part of the course, compared with what I had done in training runs in terms of time, I was a bit disappointed. I think I was two seconds off my first training time, and 1.20 seconds off my time in the second. I set myself a new target of being within 2.5 seconds, so I was a bit disappointed with the time when I crossed the line. Still, I finished in 29th when I had set myself the objective of being in the top 30, so that’s cool.

And then – of course – came the record-breaking performance in the combined event.

In the downhill part, I was happy with regards to the objective that I set myself. I was 2.6 seconds off the Norwegian (Aleksandr Aamodt Kilde), so I was on target. It was a great run.

Slalom really isn’t my cup of tea at all since I had a back operation three years ago. I really struggle with it and the pain it gives me in my back, so I can’t really train for it. Just before the slalom run, we had a bit of time to practise, and it had been almost two years since I had put on some slalom skis. After the two rounds, my back was already causing me problems. The objective was just to finish the run.

When did you know that you had broken the record and attained the highest position of any Monegasque skier in an Olympic Games? 

I didn’t know straight away. When I finished the slalom run, I was just exhausted and so I relaxed, because we hadn’t really stopped for three days. I found out during the interviews afterwards. 13th is a great place, but the objective is always to improve my results.

Is that the objective for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan/Cortina then?

Of course, that is always the objective. 2026 is still a long way away, and this season isn’t finished yet so I need to keep going. I went back to Monaco for three days, then I came back up into the mountains for training.  I restarted two days ago in preparation for my next event, which is the World Cup in Norway at the start of March. It’s still at the back of my mind to continue performing to be able to go to Cortina in 2026.

What was it like spending time with Monaco’s bobsledders Rudy Rinaldi, Boris Vain and Anthony Rinaldi? Have you spoken to them since their incredible sixth place finish?

We saw each other every day. We didn’t have the same schedules, so we didn’t spend all day together, but we still had time at the village. It was nice to spend time with them.

I spoke with them during their two days of racing in the evening when they were with the physical therapists. It was cool to speak after their great first day of racing. I’ve messaged them since the result as well. It was a great performance.

What do you think this Olympics will do for winter sports in the Principality?

I hope that it raises the profile, makes it more known, because at the end of the day, winter sports are practised by many in the Principality, but it isn’t very mediatised. If these Olympics can do something for the sport in Monaco, then that would be great, and if it encourages kids to get into skiing or bobsledding then that’s a huge win.

 

Top photo source: Monaco Olympic Committee  

 

 

 

 

Plastic use doubles in a decade, only 9% recycled worldwide

by: Cassandra Tanti
22/02/2022
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Less than 10% of the plastic used across the world is recycled, the OECD said Tuesday, calling for “coordinated and global solutions” ahead of expected talks on an international plastics treaty later this month. 

A new report by the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found that 460 million tonnes of plastics were used in 2019, the number nearly doubling since 2000.

“After taking into account losses during recycling, only 9% of plastic waste was ultimately recycled, while 19% was incinerated and almost 50% went to sanitary landfills,” it said in its Global Plastics Outlook.

“The remaining 22% was disposed of in uncontrolled dumpsites, burned in open pits or leaked into the environment.”

The Covid-19 pandemic saw the use of plastics drop by 2.2% in 2020 compared to the previous year. However, single-use plastics rose and overall use is “projected to pick up again” as the economy rebounds.

Plastics contributed 3.4% of global greenhouse emissions in 2019, 90%of it from “production and conversion from fossil fuels”, the report said.

In the face of rampant global warming and pollution, it is “crucial that countries respond to the challenge with coordinated and global solutions”, OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann said in the report.

The OECD proposed a series of “levers” to address the issue, including developing the market for recycled plastics, which only represent 6% of the total, largely because they are more expensive.

It added that new technologies related to decreasing the environmental footprint of plastic represented only 1.2% of all innovation concerning the product.

While calling for “a more circular plastics lifecycle”, the OECD said that policies must also restrain overall consumption.

It also called for “major investments in basic waste management infrastructure”, including 25 billion euros a year to go towards efforts in low and middle-income countries.

Plastic treaty talks

The report comes less than a week before the UN Environment Assembly begins on 28th February in Nairobi, where formal talks are expected to begin on a future international plastics treaty, the scope of which will be discussed.

Shardul Agrawala, the head of the OECD’s environment and economy integration division, said Tuesday’s report “further accentuates the need for countries to come together to start looking towards a global agreement to address this very important problem”.

Asked about the priorities of the treaty to be discussed in Nairobi, she said that “there is an urgent waste management problem which is responsible for the bulk of the leakage to the environment”.

“But we should not limit our focus just to the end of pipe solutions, there is a greater need in the long term to forge international cooperation and agreement towards alignment of standards,” she told an online press briefing Monday.

In a survey published Tuesday by polling firm Ipsos for the World Wildlife Fund, 88% of respondents stressed the importance of an international treaty to combat plastic pollution.

In the 28 countries surveyed, 23% of the respondents said such a treaty was “fairly important”, 31% said it was “very important”, and 34% found it “essential”.

 

 

Monaco Life with AFP, photo by Tanvi Sharma on Unsplash 

 

 

 

Maria Callas Gala and Awards show coming in May

by: Stephanie Horsman
22/02/2022
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The 2nd edition of the Maria Callas Gala and Awards charity event is returning to the Principality this spring, celebrating Greek culture and the memory of La Divina for a good cause.  

Legendary diva Maria Callas came to Monaco in 1960 and sang at a gala event held by Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace. Inspired by this extraordinary event, the Maria Callas Gala and Award show was born in 2021 and proved such a success that it is now becoming a yearly event worthy of the Monaco social calendar.

The black-tie event is the brainchild of Ioanna Efthimiou, whose aim is to celebrate the iconic soprano’s remarkable talent and pay tribute to her distinguished career.

“Maria Callas has always been an inspiration for me,” says Ioanna Efthimiou. “What a voice, what a talent, what charisma, what a personality. I wanted to bring the legend back to Monaco, in the place that embraced, loved and admired Callas most.”

The event, organised with the support of the Greek Community of Monaco, benefits the Princess Charlene Foundation this year, with its 27 projects in 19 countries around the world working to ensure water safety is accessible to children everywhere.

The award ceremony celebrates great talent of our time, and this year will honour, amongst others, Monica Bellucci as best artist, with best musical artist going to Mario Frangoulis. The night includes a cocktail party, an operatic concert and will end with dinner in the Salle Empire of the Hôtel de Paris.

The award ceremony is being held on 5th May in the Monte Carlo Opera’s Salle Garnier, a venue dear to the heart of Maria Callas. For more information and tickets, visit the website at https://www.mariacallasmonacogala.org/tickets/

 

 

 

Wine tasting around the world at the Metropole Hotel

by: Stephanie Horsman
22/02/2022
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The sommeliers from the Metropole Hotel are sharing their passion for viniculture and revealing secret treasures in a new series of wine tasting events this year.

From the beginning of March until the end of September, the Metropole Hotel’s wine experts will immerse those interested in wines in an oenological world, giving them insight and information on some of their favourite vintages and practices.

This is no simple wine tasting course, though. The sommeliers will explain the basics of wine making techniques, advice on what to choose, as well as the best part – the tastings.

The experience includes a dinner in the Lobby Bar restaurant with a selection of starters and dishes whipped up by Chef Christophe Cussac, all with pairings to accent the flavours.

Restaurant at the Métropole Hôtel, by B.Touillon

The first trip is into the world of Chardonnays on 2nd and 3rd March. This drinkable varietal is the most cultivated white wine grape in the world.

Trip number two delves in the moodier world of the Pinot Noir. On 6th and 7th April, guests will discover this subtle red, capable of evoking great emotion in both maker and imbiber.

On 1st and 2nd June, visitors will get their fizz on with a selection of sparkling wines from around the globe. Think effervescent for this event, where taste buds delight in a bubbly jubilee. The night includes French sparkling wines, as well as notable bubbles from other countries.

The fourth and final trip is on 21st and 22nd September. As the weather starts to turn cooler, the Metropole will give visitors a lesson on the best of port wines. They will pull out examples of each style, including tawny, ruby and white, and talk about the Douro Valley region of Portugal where these exceptional vintages are produced.  

The cost per person is €190 and space is available by reservation only.

 

 

 

The Animals exhibition highlights Monaco artists

by: Stephanie Horsman
22/02/2022

A new exhibition of contemporary art called The Animals is on at La Vitrine Contemporaine de Monaco celebrating creations of our four-legged friends made by local artists, past and present. 

Tying in with the Nice Carnival’s 2022 Animal King theme, La Vitrine Contemporaine de Monaco is presenting a purr-fect mix of historic and new pieces from an array of talent featuring animals as their theme.

The gallery, founded by artist Zoe Skoropadenko in 2009, was opened initially to showcase her own works, but has grown to become a place for emerging Monaco-based artists to share their works, as well as one where pieces from the past are brought back to life. For The Animals, she will display drawings of animals from the Zoological Garden in Monaco.

In addition to her work, the exhibit will feature pieces by Gerard Pettiti, known as the Bernard Buffet of Monaco, whose dark, strong works have made him a distinctive player in the local art scene. His diptych featuring bears is a beautiful departure from his usual favourite subject, birds.

Ceramic anemone by Agnes Roux will also be on display. Roux’s passion for nature is shown in all her pieces which are inspired from everyday trips around the Principality to the beach, parks, and of life under the sea.

Self-taught guest artist Bernard Vitour once trained as butcher. This occupation didn’t stick, but the experience gave him an ability to craft beautiful clay sculptures featuring animals, which were made jointly with Zoe Skoropadenko.

Made famous by his Fractals oil paintings, artist Clem Chambers has contributed a sketch of small animals from the Monaco Zoo.

Also exhibiting is Dale Dorosh, a French-Canadian ceramist living in Vallauris. Founder of AIR Vallauris, he started working with clay at university. His path then led him to become a professional fencer where he was a member of the Monegasque sabre fencing team. A competition in Vallauris turned his head and he then turned to pottery making. He will be exhibiting a piece entitled ‘Fellow’ at the show.

Pieces from the past will also be showcased, including works from ceramic studio Les Argounautes founded in the 1950’s by Isabelle Ferlay and Frederique Bourget. A horse figurine will be on display from their collection.

One of the oldest pieces in the show will be a tiny ceramic frog made by Delphin Massier from the early 1800s. This will be joined by a ceramic owl made by Monegasque Alberto Diato, who was a friend and contemporary of Picasso and Gilbert Portanier.

Finally, a fish vase from the 1950’s will be part of the series, made in the Cerart factory. Founded in 1934 by Charles Durante, the factory churned out flowers and other plants subjects, but also developed a marine theme later on, which is where the vase depicting Monaco undersea life is from.

The exhibition runs from 20th February to 1st April. Admission is free. For more information, visit the website at www.themeloy.art.

 

 

 

Princess Grace Library to welcome Irish author Neal Doherty

by: Stephanie Horsman
22/02/2022

The Princess Grace Irish Library will host author Neal Doherty on Thursday 24th February, who will present a talk on the statues and sculptures of Dublin.

Born and educated in Dublin, Neal Doherty’s first career was with Nestlé, where he managed its chilled food business in Ireland. On retiring, a second career beckoned as a historian and tourist guide. He now works as a freelance guide in French and English for private clients. His tours in the west of Ireland include a visit to the birthplace of Princess Grace’s paternal grandfather near Newport in Co. Mayo.

Neal has appeared on the TV programme Nationwide and written ‘The Complete Guide to the Streets of Dublin’ and ‘The Complete Guide to the Statues and Sculptures of Dublin’.

He will give a multimedia presentation at the Princess Grace Irish Library on the Statues and Sculptures of Dublin, and pose three questions: Do you know what piece of music is featured on the statue of Daniel O’Connell? Do you know which Dublin statue has a hat and a cat as symbols of freedom? Do you know where the statues of The Ten Virgins are located on O’Connell Street?

These questions and many more will be answered in the one hour presentation.

Admission is 10€, the talk starts at 7pm.

 

SEE ALSO:

James Joyce takes centre stage at Irish Library

 

 

Photo of the Molly Malone Statue, Dublin, Ireland, by Mark Lawson on Unsplash