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Month: June 2022

Battling Pau fight back in playoff series

by: Luke Entwistle
08/06/2022

AS Monaco Basketball didn’t seize the chance to secure their place in the Betclic Elite final on Tuesday, as Pau-Lacq-Orthez hit back (82-76) to reignite the series amidst a fervent atmosphere.

In defeat, Monaco have been pegged back to 2-1, and whilst they will still be considered strong favourites to advance to the five-legged final later this month, they must now react to their first setback in a series that had thus far gone entirely their way.

A reaction from Pau could have been expected. Having lost both ties at the Salle Gaston Médécin last week, their survival in the series was on the line. Their players knew it and so did their fans, who packed into the Palais des Sports de Pau to create a hostile environment for the visiting Monégasques.

In both of the previous ties, Monaco managed to pull away and control the match from an early stage, but it became quickly apparent that they wouldn’t do so again here. For the first time in the series, the sides looked evenly matched, and neither side managed to pull away.

For the home side, Justin Bibbins and Brandon Jefferson were prolific outside the key, and allowed Pau to stave off any attack from Monaco, as their clinical efficiency made the difference.

As always, Mike James was the man making things happen for Monaco. He and Dwayne Bacon chipped in with considerable points contributions, but Monaco simply couldn’t match the precision of their adversary, whilst a stout rear guard from Pau compacted the space for James to exploit within the key.

Going into the final-quarter, Monaco had a three-point deficit to overturn (65-62), and although the scores remained close, Pau pulled away in the dying minutes with an exhibition in three-point finishing. The home side were deserved winners (82-76) and took the series to a fourth match, once again in Pau on Thursday.

Post-match, Sasa Obradovic praised the level of his opponent: “We must congratulate Pau. They played very well. For me, there was no difference between them and a Euroleague side this evening. When we face them, we must match their energy, and it wasn’t easy in this atmosphere. They took confidence.”

Obradovic concluded, “We have to be more focused if we want to win this series.” The Roca Team coach will be hoping that a strong response from his team can silence the home crowd, end the series and secure a place in the Betclic Elite final.

 

Photo source: AS Monaco Basketball

 

 

 

ASM Women lose first-leg of their promotion tie

by: Luke Entwistle
08/06/2022

AS Monaco Women were dealt a blow in their quest to gain promotion to D2 on Sunday, as they lost the first-leg of their promotion play-off to Bourges.

Having won every match of the regular season, their fate now hinges on the return leg, which is to take place at the Stade Prince Héréditaire de Beausoleil on Sunday.

Given their record over the duration of the season, it is not beyond Monaco to overturn the narrow one goal deficit. The setback came late in the second-half as a goalkeeping error allowed a tame effort from outside the box to dribble over the line.

Should they beat Bourges on Sunday, they will then advance to the final round, which will take place on 19th and 26th July to decide their promotion to D2. If successful, it will be a memorable season for the side, who also went on an inspiring Coupe de France run.

 

 

 

Clean-up day on Plage Mala

by: Stephanie Horsman
07/06/2022

Cap d’Ail is holding a major beach clean-up, with teams taking part in the sea, using professional divers and sailors, and on land with the city’s seaside services.

Plage Mala is considered a jewel in the regions crown. The unspoilt, relatively unknown and somewhat difficult to access beach attracts locals and those in the know as a little cove away from the huge summer crowds. To keep Mala the gem it is, the city of Cap d’Ail has designated Saturday 11th June as a day of waste collection on the beach, along the paths and in the coastal waters.

The clean-up will include 18 professional divers, some from Monaco, as well as seven land crew members, three sailors, a surface safety officer and the city’s seaside services.

Mayor Xavier Beck wanted to organise a major waste collection operation after attending a Bleu Gorgone operation in December 2021 in Villefranche-sur-Mer. That day, the association recovered pieces of scaffolding used in repairing the Citadel that had been ripped down during Storm Alex.

“We must preserve biodiversity, even if in Cap d’Ail the situation is not dramatic,” the Mayor said, whilst noting that the last intervention of this type has not been held for several years.

The teams will work to rid the beaches of surface rubbish but will also be going after some bigger items such as large construction site bags and defence grids sunk into the sea. The land-based teams will tidy up the rocky areas and pathways, led by Cap d’Ail Municipal Counsellor in Charge of the Environment Virginie Guasco.

The clean-up efforts will take place from 9am to 12pm, and will not affect those who wish to use the beach as normal.

 

 

 

Photo by Enrique Eveno on Flickr

 

 

 

 

 

The Oceanographic museum is on a “Polar Mission”

by: Stephanie Horsman
07/06/2022

The Oceanographic Museum has unveiled its major new exhibit for the next two years, an immersive experience to the polar regions where visitors are able to discover the beauty, the fragility, and the hope that lies within.

For the next two years, visitors to the Oceanographic Museum can discover the sometimes forbidding, but incredibly fragile, polar regions of our planet. With the inauguration of Polar Mission on Thursday 2nd June, the public can now delve into this crystalline world and learn all about the Arctic and Antarctic from a new perspective.

Through this new major exhibition, the Oceanographic Museum first offers a “one-on-one” journey with polar explorers Jean Malaurie, Frederik Paulsen, Jean-Baptiste Charcot and Matthew Henson, retracing their discoveries, reproducing a polar environment, and showing what a traditional igloo is like.

The objective is to allow visitors to learn more about the way of life of the Inuits and their traditions.

Photo © Musée océanographique

The exhibition then moves through four more spaces to create a real immersion in these remote regions of the globe.

“It is my hope that the emotion aroused by the beauty of the polar regions, together with the awareness of the vital role they play on a global scale, will lead mankind to regard them with respect and caution,” said Prince Albert, “because one thing of which we are now certain is that the future of the poles foreshadows our own.”

In space number three, the challenge is to unlock the secrets of the North and South Poles; not only to understand how they function, but also to realise what tremendous upheavals are taking place there because of climate change. It offers visitors an opportunity to become fully aware of the differences between these two extremes and the crucial role played by them in the planet’s climate balance.

In space number four, visitors physically feel as if they are at the Poles. The wild, grandiose beauty of those icy lands comes to life in a never-before-seen immersive, interactive projection featuring bears, seals, beluga whales, whales, sea elephants, killer whales and penguins. It is a wonderland which culminates in the dreamlike polar aurora, while an audio projection relays the fragility of this ecosystem, and the dangers which threaten these species.

Finally, space number five reveals how far the knowledge of global warming and its consequences have come, how it is impacting biodiversity, and how it is impacting humans.

Exposition Mission Polaire, Musée Océanographique de Monaco © Musée océanographique 

With the help of an entrance ticket in the form of a press card, the “visitor-reporter” can activate extra content and, at the end of their visit, hand over their report using an interactive terminal. They are also invited, if they so wish, to pledge their support to the Oceanographic Institute and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation by actively backing measures in favour of the poles, most notably the creation of new Marine Protected Areas in the polar oceans.

“Ecology is a subject that concerns all of humanity,” Mélanie Laurent, who is ambassador of the new exhibition, said.

Explorer Jean-Louis Etienne, who was also on hand, added, “The poles are the lungs of the Earth, their role is essential. They are the main carbon sinks on the planet. They regulate the climate.”

Mathieu Ferragut, CEO of CFM-Indosuez, the main sponsor of the exhibit, concluded by saying that finance is necessary for sustainable development. The bank has been a partner with the museum since January 2020 and has also offered its clients sustainable project inclusion in support of the institution in lieu of fees, which last year contributed €171,000 to the museum.

 

 

Photo © Musée océanographique 

 

 

 

Monaco marks hospitality rebound

by: Stephanie Horsman
07/06/2022

New figures from IMSEE show that restaurants and hotels made a slow but steady comeback in 2021 after the previous dismal pandemic year, pulling in €579 million in revenue.

According to a new focus report by statistics group IMSEE, there were a total of 308 active restaurants and hotels in Monaco in 2021 which took in sales figures of €579 million. It is a considerable gain of 36.8% on 2020. Restaurants made up the vast majority in numbers, 237, but hotels, numbering only 15, drove the sector financially, bringing in €409 million, up 42% on 2020, and employing over 70% of the sector’s workers.

Monaco saw 17 new entities created in this sector in 2021, representing 2% of the total of new businesses in the Principality. Conversely, 11 businesses closed in the same time period, a marked improvement on 2020, when 18 shuttered their doors permanently. Restaurants have long life spans in Monaco, faring better than the average compared to other types of businesses, lasting 14.7 years compared to the global 12.3 years.

The Condamine has the highest concentration of hotels and restaurants with 90, followed by Monte-Carlo with 85, and Fontvieille with 45.

The €579 million brought in by this sector equals 3.6% of Monaco’s total sales, not including the financial and insurance sectors. Whilst a big improvement on the previous year, figures are down compared to 2019, which saw the same sector bring in €809 million.

Hospitality employs 7,148 active workers in Monaco, with hotels the bigger employers by far with 5,063 employees. But the sector took on 7.9% fewer workers in 2021 than the previous year. On the other hand, restaurants, with 2,065 workers, gained 21.2% on 2020.

Men outnumber women in this sector considerably, but for both genders, the vast majority of workers range from 24 to 54 years of age, with the average age being 41.2 years.

In 2021, 5,384 workers in this sector were from France, representing 75.3% of the total. Monaco residents account for 13% of workers in the sector, and Italians for 9.5%.

Finally, occupation rates in hotels were up massively over 2020 at 41.6%. Whilst considerably lower than 2019’s 65.9%, it was a vast improvement over 2020’s miserable 28.5%. Not surprisingly, the months of July, August, September and October saw the greatest comebacks in 2021.

 

 

 

Photo by Monaco Life

 

 

 

 

Venturi on the podium in Jakarta

by: Luke Entwistle
07/06/2022

ROKiT Venturi Racing secured third place in the inaugural Jakarta E-Prix on Saturday. Less than a second separated the top-three drivers as Mitch Evans took the chequered flag with Edoardo Mortara third.

New Zealander Evans is now within just five-points of Venturi’s Mortara, who dropped below Jean-Eric Vergne in the standings. It could have all been very different, however, as fine margins decided the race.

For much of the race, it looked like it would be a two-horse race between Evans and Vergne, but as the latter failed to pass the former towards the end of the race, Mortara closed in, sensitive to the opportunity to better his third place.

Going into the final lap, the predator had turned prey as Vergne was forced to defend from the Venturi, taking the inside line into corners and hindering his attack on Evans. Vergne, and Evans, were grateful for the chequered flag. Less than a second separated the top-three, whilst there was only just over two-tenths of a second between Mortara and Vergne. Had there been another lap, Mortara likely would have picked off his prey.

Instead, he had to settle for the bottom step of the podium, which keeps him truly in the hunt for the championship, although for now, he has lost his second place. With only seven-points separating the top-three, Stoffel Vandoorne’s championship lead is anything but comfortable, and Mortara will fancy his chances of once again hitting the front when Formula E visits Morocco next month.

Lucas di Grassi meanwhile helped the side with a handful of points as he finished in seventh. However, in the Teams’ standings, Venturi lost their second place to DS Cheetah, who now lead the Monaco-based manufacturer by just one point, whilst the Mercedes EQ team are a further 16 points ahead.

Post-race, Venturi team principal Jérôme D’Ambrosio said, “A great race for us and Formula E in Jakarta today. With Edo on the podium in third and Lucas battling forward to seventh, we were able to take home a good haul of points.”

He continued, “The battle in both the Drivers’ and Teams’ World Championships is extremely close at the moment and with only four race weekends remaining this season, we need to maintain our current momentum. We’ll still be taking it on a race-by-race basis and as always, the goal is to do our best.”

With only a handful of points between the top-three in both the Teams’ and Drivers’ Championships, it is still all to play for as we enter the business end of the season.

 

 

Photo source: Rokit Venturi Racing