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Day: 13 June 2022

Photos: John Christodoulou awarded Goodwill Ambassador 2022

by: Cassandra Tanti
13/06/2022

There was plenty of festive plate smashing on Saturday night as the Monaco Ambassador’s Club, under the high patronage of Prince Albert II, honoured Monaco resident and Cypriot businessman John Christodoulou with the Goodwill Ambassador’s Award at a lavish ceremony at the Hôtel Hermitage.

John Christodoulou is a low-profile, self-made Cypriot billionaire who has forged an international, privately held real estate empire with a portfolio of residential, hotel, retail and leisure properties in the United Kingdom and Europe. His 74-metre yacht Zeus is a mainstay on the Monaco horizon.

But John Christodoulou is also a well-known philanthropist, backing numerous projects that help improve the lives of vulnerable children through his John Christodoulou Foundation. Most recently, he also supported many projects during the Covid-19 pandemic, funded a new gym facility for staff at Monaco’s Princess Grace Hospital Centre, and offered two of his UK hotels for free to home 750 Ukrainian refugees.

John Christodoulou with Prince Albert and MAC Vice President Mike Powers © Yvan Grubski

Born in Nicosia, Cyprus, in 1965, Christodoulou has been a Monaco resident for a number of years. On Saturday night, during a gala on the beautiful terraces of the Hermitage Hotel, Prince Albert II and Monaco Ambassadors Club President Christian Moore awarded John Christodoulou with the Goodwill Ambassador’s Award for his achievements and his “unquestionable loyalty to Cyprus”, said Christian Moore.

“It gives me great pleasure to present this year’s Goodwill Ambassador’s Award to John,” said Prince Albert II of Monaco. “He is a great friend, and a great supporter of Monaco and everything that we do here. Thank you so much for that, for all of your philanthropic activities, and for your kindness and outstanding generosity not only to your friends but to all those in need.”

Prince Albert was presented with an award from Cyprus, while Christodoulou was also presented with the Holy Humanitarian Cross by Ieronymos Pyliotis, a representative of the church of Cyprus.

Barbara Petropoulou Lillikas, Ieronymos Pyliotis, John Christodoulou, Christian Moore, Prince Albert II of Monaco, Mike Powers © Yvan Grubski

“One of the things we have in common with the church is they are the biggest landlords in the world,” said Christodoulou, laughing. “As a real estate guy, we are trying to get there.”

Privileged guests of the MAC gala were transported to the islands for an evening thanks to a delicious Greek-inspired menu, traditional music and, of course, some celebratory plate smashing.

Upon receiving the Goodwill Ambassador’s Award, John Christodoulou said, “When you live in Monaco, we sometimes take it for granted, but this is the best place to live in Europe. Our Prince is doing an incredible job.”

Goodwill Ambassador’s Award Gala 2022 © Yvan Grubski

The Goodwill Ambassador’s Gala was organised by the staff of the Monaco Ambassadors Club including General Secretary Alessandra Sparaco, Club Manager Catherine Bernaz and Event Manager Manon Delpont. It was sponsored by Borsalino and Benedetta Bizzini, with limited edition Monte Cristo hats being been offered to Prince Albert, MAC President Christian Moore, MAC Vice President Mike Powers and John Christodoulou, Goodwill Ambassador 2022.

The Monaco Ambassadors Club will next year be celebrating its 50th anniversary. It was established in 1973 by HSH Princess Grace of Monaco to assemble the rich blend of cultures in the Principality, with each member bringing a particular dynamic to the club and becoming an emissary of Monaco. The next big MAC event on the calendar is the Summer Party, to be held at the stunning La Vigie villa, on 6th July.

 

Click on the gallery below to see more images from the Goodwill Ambassador’s Award Gala © Yvan Grubski …

 

 

 

Open Air Cinema reopens with summer blockbusters

by: Stephanie Horsman
13/06/2022

From Elvis and Jurassic World to Top Gun Maverick, the Open Air Cinema in Monaco will be screening all the hit films of this summer in an incomparable setting, offering movie-goers all the comforts of home, but under the stars.

Monaco’s Open Air Cinema, a perennial summer favourite, has reopened with a top drawer line-up of films being screened on a massive 220 metre screen, the largest in Europe.

The season kicks off with the latest in the Jurassic park series, Jurassic World, and only gets better. The new Marvel offering, Doctor Strange, is coming up, along with Elvis, the Baz Luhrmann biopic on the legendary singer, Top Gun Maverick, starring Tom Cruise reprising his role as a hotshot fighter jet pilot, Pixar Studios Buzz Lightyear, and The Batman, the latest about the caped crusader’s quest to find justice. The list goes on with Firestarter, The Minions 2, Thor:  Love Thunder, Uncharted, Bob’s Burgers: The Film and Rifkin’s Festivalto round out the summer.

All films are shown in original version with French subtitles and the cinema features creature comforts such as outdoor sofas, cushions and deck chairs for comfortable seating, as well as a selection of food and beverages. The hot dogs are said to be a highlight!

It’s not possible to book in advance, but with 500 seats available each night, chances are fair a space will be available. Screenings start at 9:30pm, with the main event coming on a half hour later.

For more information, including ticket prices and the full schedule, visit the website on www.cinemas2monaco.com

 

 

This article was originally published 20th June 2022

 

 

Monaco marks The Hoff’s return to TV

by: Stephanie Horsman
13/06/2022

David Hasselhoff’s return to the small screen will feature for the first time at the 61st Monte-Carlo Television Festival this week, with the premier of the “dark, action comedy” series Ze Network.

Who doesn’t love The Hoff? Star of major American television classics such as Baywatch and Knight Rider, David Hasselhoff’s career has been the stuff of legend. Now, he is back, starring as himself in a new series called Ze Network.

Ze Network is a fictionalised story of the actor who lands the lead role in a German theatre play that puts him smack in the centre of an international conspiracy of former cold war assassins. If that’s not bizarre enough, reality seems to fall apart around his ears, making for a darkly comedic show. Co-starring German actor Henry Hübchen, who also plays himself, the series is produced by Siegfried Kammi and created and directed by Christian Alvert.

“I am delighted to welcome David Hasselhoff, Henry Hübchen and members of the Ze Network team to join us in Monte-Carlo for the world premiere screening of this brilliant new series,” said Laurent Puons, CEO of the Monte-Carlo Television Festival. “We know David has many, many fans throughout the world and especially here in Monaco. We are thrilled and honoured that he and CBS Studios have chosen our Festival to launch his latest project which looks set to be a huge international hit.”

Additional members of the ensemble cast of Ze Network include Lisa-Marie Koroll, Maximilian Mundt, Athena Strates, Anja Herden, Maike Jüttendonk, Serkan Kaya, Max Befort, and Urs Rechn.

The eight-part series was filmed on location in Görlitz and Berlin, Germany as well as in Poland, Croatia, and Morocco, and will be distributed by Paramount Global Content outside of Germany.

“We are happy to premiere the show at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival. This show is insane. I’m shocked that they’ve let me do it,” said Christian Alvart. “A crazy and suspenseful roller coaster ride with lots of twists and surprises. We’re boldly going where no Hasselhoff has gone before.”

The first two episodes will be screened on Sunday 19th June at the Grimaldi Forum at 7:15pm, with both stars in attendance. For more info about the Festival or to get tickets for any of the events, visit the website on https://www.tvfestival.com/en

 

 

 

Photo of David Hasselhoff on Ze Network, source promo photo

 

 

 

 

Leclerc’s title challenge goes up in smoke in Baku

by: Luke Entwistle
13/06/2022

Another technical failure befell Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari on Sunday, as he once again failed to convert a strong qualifying at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix while Max Verstappen eked-out his championship lead.

The season is yet young, and the 34-point gap that separates Leclerc and Verstappen is far from insurmountable, but Sunday’s engine failure on the streets of Baku is nonetheless a “significant” blow to Leclerc’s title aspirations.

Despite four consecutive pole positions, Leclerc has failed to convert either into a race win, whilst he has only managed to finish on the podium once in that run. A technical failure at the Spanish GP, a poor choice of strategy on a drying Monaco track at his home Grand Prix, and now an engine failure means that he hasn’t finished on the podium since taking second in Miami in early May.

After hopping out of his stricken Ferrari, Leclerc said, “It feels bad, it hurts. It’s more than significant. I don’t really have the words. It is just a huge disappointment and I hope that we can jump back from it and be on top of these things.”

Prior to his retirement, Leclerc had endured a difficult start to Sunday’s race. The pole-sitter was beaten off the line by Monaco winner Sergio Perez. The Red Bull driver took the inside line into turn one, as Leclerc locked-up on the outside line and was fortunate not to cede another position to Verstappen.

But having damaged his tyres, it was to be a difficult first stint for Leclerc, who was forced to defend from Verstappen instead of chasing after the leader. Ferrari lost their first driver on lap nine, as Carlos Sainz was forced to stop on track.

Charles Leclerc racing at the Azerbaijan GP, credit: Scuderia Ferrari Press Office

Leclerc pitted under the virtual safety car that ensued, and took the lead after Verstappen and Perez completed their pit stop. During that time, Verstappen had briefly taken the lead of the race as Perez was told not to fight the flying Dutchman, who had superior pace to his Mexican team-mate.

Leclerc looked to have better pace in the second stint, and post-race he revealed that he was managing the tyres well, but Ferrari’s day would go from bad to worse. On the long start/finish straight, a plume of smoke was seen billowing from Leclerc’s single-seater as his race ended prematurely on lap 21.

Unchallenged, Red Bull took the one-two, whilst George Russell rounded off the podium ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton who, not for the first time this season, mustered an impressive comeback having found himself in 11th after the first round of stops.

Not only does Verstappen extend his lead to 34 points, but Leclerc also drops behind Perez, who now has a 13-point lead over the Monégasque driver, whilst “Mr. Consistency” Russell is only 17 points behind. The Brit is the only driver to have finished in the top five in every race this season.

Leclerc is looking to put this difficult patch behind him as the paddock departs for North America. “It’s time to go home and reset before Canada,” said the Ferrari driver.

Ferrari have the chance to bounce back quickly with only a week in between races, but Red Bull’s race pace, coupled with Ferrari’s reliability issues, spells trouble for Leclerc’s title challenge, which began so promisingly with two wins in the first three races. There is now little room for error for Ferrari, or for Leclerc.

 

 

 

Photo of Charles Leclerc credit: Scuderia Ferrari Press Office

 

 

 

WHO awards Monaco’s health professionals

by: Stephanie Horsman
13/06/2022

The World Health Organisation has recognised the hard work and dedication of the Principality’s health care workers and awarded them with a special trophy in tribute.

No one knows more than health care workers how difficult the last two years have been. Those on the front line of the pandemic have endured impossibly long hours, personal illness, and heart-breaking circumstances, all for the benefit of the community.

To celebrate their commitment to the public good, the World Health Organisation (WHO) made 2021 the International Year of Health and Care Workers, recognising the trying times and the superhuman efforts made by those in the field.

WHO’s Regional Director Hans Kluge, therefore, took time out to personally thank the health care workers of Monaco on behalf of himself and the WHO European Regional Office by presenting them with a trophy for service.

The occasion was marked by a gathering at the Princess Grace Hospital where Minister of Social Affairs and Health Christophe Robino, and representatives from the Department of Health Action, the Mairie, the Covid-19 Cell, the Home Monitoring Centre team, the Order of Physicians, the Order of Pharmacists, the Association of Liberal Nurses, the IM2S, the Cardio-Thoracic Centre of Monaco, the Monaco Red Cross, firefighters and city doctors met to celebrate their achievements.

In his speech, Minister Robino thanked all health workers “for their efforts and their constant involvement during these two years of health crisis”.

The trophy will reside at the Princess Grace Hospital Centre symbolically as the epicentre of the health care system in Monaco and because of its essential role in managing the health crisis through its darkest times. 

 

 

Photo by Stephanie Danna, Government Communication Department

 

 

 

Monaco Women progress to play-off final

by: Luke Entwistle
13/06/2022

AS Monaco Women bounced back from last weekend’s first-leg defeat against Bourges to progress to a play-off final against Toulouse, the first leg of which will take place in Beausoleil next weekend.

On a sweltering Sunday on the Riviera, fans packed into the Stade du Prince Héréditaire Jacques to spur on a side that have rarely tasted defeat this season, but did so in the first leg of the crucial play-off tie. Coming in with a one goal deficit against Bourges, the home side needed to score at least twice to progress.

The Ultras were in attendance at the match and provided a great atmosphere throughout, as the start of the match was accompanied by a smokey pyrotechnic display from their corner. Only minutes later, Monaco took the lead. Through on goal, Laura Domecq’s cut back was neatly converted by Kenza Chircop to level the scores on aggregate.

Monaco got a scare just seconds later as Bourges had the ball in the net, only for the Bourges attacker to be adjudged to be in an offside position.

The pivotal moment in the game came midway through the first-half. Through on goal, Domecq was tripped by Bourges’ Meta Camara, leaving the referee no choice but to brandish a red card. A player up and a goal up, Monaco were now firm favourites to grab the goal that would see them progress.

But they would have to wait for it. As Monaco midfielder Maddie Weston told Monaco Life, “You have to be patient, sometimes the easiest goals won’t go in, but then the craziest ones do go in. When we do have those chances, I think we have to work harder and better to make sure they are finished because as we advance further into the playoffs, perhaps those chances don’t come as often.”

Domecq hit the bar from just six yards out, before Chircop’s poorly hit strike from within the six yard box hit the post before dribbling agonisingly across the line and hitting the other post.

Monaco did eventually get their second mid-way through the second-half. As the 10 players of Bourges tired in the heat, the Principality side profited from their numerical advantage to create overloads. Domecq got on the scoresheet, converting Bree Fuller’s cutback before Moeko Morse added a third to give the home side margin for error.

They would be grateful for it, as Monaco had to endure a nervy finish. Christelle Léger’s long-range effort beat the goalkeeper and left Monaco hanging on in the dying seconds of the tie. But hold on they did, and victory leaves them within two games of promotion to D2.

Post-match manager Stéphane Guigo reflected on their comeback victory. He told Monaco Life, “We don’t have the habit of losing. That gave them a shot in the arm, we got our heads right again this week and we worked hard to get the result today.” AS Monaco Women’s development manager Thomas Martini added, “It was a logical defeat in the first leg, we have to be honest. Today we saw more of what we’ve seen since the start of the season: effort and efficiency. We found a collective and that’s what we lacked in the first match.”

Weston added, “Losing isn’t a known feeling to us, but as great as that is, it lit a fire in us. It’s okay that it happens and we learn from it. It taught us to be more patient in this game and not force the ball over the top.”

She continued, “We got the job done today, but we’re not finished. We have two more games to win to get to our ultimate goal of getting up to D2.”

Guigo is expecting a tough match against Toulouse, stating, “I think we’re the underdog. It’s a former professional side. They have an ambitious project. We’ll welcome next week with a lot of humility. On the play-off final, Martini added, “Toulouse will be a level up. They are a team that likes to play from the back. It will be a very different scenario. In terms of quality, I think it will be 50/50. It will be the team that approaches the game the best that will go up to D2.”

The fixture seems finely poised, and Monaco will be hoping to get off to a good start when they host Toulouse in Beausoleil next weekend.

 

 

 

Photo by Luke Entwistle, Monaco Life