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Day: 16 January 2023

Euroleague boss visits Monaco with Roca Team’s future reportedly secured

by: Luke Entwistle
16/01/2023

Marshall Glickman, the head of the Euroleague, visited Monaco last week amid reports that the Roca Team’s participation in next year’s competition is already secured.

The Euroleague is the world’s second biggest basketball league, and AS Monaco Basketball made their debut in the competition last season. Sasa Obradovic’s men made a meteoric rise through the standings late in the season, guaranteeing their spot in this year’s competition. The Roca Team are currently first this year and are on course to secure a play-off spot.

In the context of this success, and following a renovation of the Salle Gaston Médecin in the summer, in line with Euroleague regulations, Glickman has visited the Principality, stating that he is “optimistic for the future” of basketball in the country.

Speaking to Monaco Info, Glickman said, “Monaco is a marvellous place and an interesting market because it is multicultural and that is very important for us.”

He continued, “Monaco are playing very well. They have won lots of matches, which has allowed them to get to first place and to stay there. With Oleksiy Yefimov, they have an excellent management team. There is a lot of investment and so we are optimistic for the future.”

There could be yet more reason for optimism. While the Monaco teams continues to prove its suitability to this level and are on course to secure a position in next year’s position through the play-offs, L’Équipe reports that its place may already have been booked.

According to the French publication, the Roca Team has already been given assurances behind the scenes that their participation in the 2023/24 edition of the competition is secured, regardless of performance. Assurances about Monaco’s continued presence on the European scene will be welcomed by decision-makers at the club, who have previously expressed plans for an even larger home court, which would not be situated within the Salle Gaston Médecin.

Monaco’s state minister, Pierre Dartout, who welcomed Glickman, alongside AS Monaco Basketball president Alkesej Fedoricsev, said “Basketball is on of the most attractive sports in the Principality and we have a team that plays for the [country’s] colours at the highest level.”

Dartout continued, “The fact that Monaco welcomes the biggest European clubs and also makes away trips is important and contributes to the attractivity of the Principality.”

Alongside the success of the men’s team, the women’s team, the MBA, is also enjoying an impressive rise. Having secured promotion last year, they are currently fifth in their new division after ringing in the New Year with a victory.

 

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Photo source: Monaco Communications Department 

Ladies Poker Power: Fighting AIDS and stereotypes

by: Stephanie Horsman
16/01/2023

An all-female charity poker tournament was held last Saturday at the Casino de Monte Carlo, giving women a chance to show they can play this male-dominated game just as well as the big boys.  

Poker is one of those games where an overwhelming majority of competitors are men. Only 5% of professional players are women, though a growing interest is bringing a more diverse talent pool to tables worldwide.  

On 14th January, 20 Monaco-based women took on the stereotype that poker is a man’s game by staging a charity tournament at the Casino de Monte Carlo, which also raised funds for Fight AIDS Monaco, the association founded and championed by Princess Stephanie.  

Ladies Poker Power showcased players from all levels, where an unexpected bonus was the honing of valuable skills such as art of negotiation, patience and discipline as well as learning from mistakes, risk management, and attention to other players, as known as reading a “poker face”.  

The ladies didn’t walk into the tournament completely unprepared, though. There were two induction sessions put on by the Casino on 10th December and 7th January, giving them the opportunity to learn the ins and outs as well as some of the finer points of the game.  

The night, which raised €10,000, was certainly a night of fun for the participants.  

Martine Elena won the tournament, while Cécile Noguer came second, and Valérie Bothy third.

It ended with an award ceremony and a cocktail where Pascal Camia, the director of Casinos, Hotels and Restaurants of the Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer, Rudy Tarditi, the director of Monaco Casinos, Hulya Biren, a special advisor to Monaco’s Deputy President, and a representative from Fight Aids Monaco offered the winners some additional prizes.  

The first place winner will enjoy lunch at the Louis XV-Alain Ducasse at the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo for two people. The second place winner won a lunch at Yannick Alléno’s Pavyllon at the Hôtel Hermitage Monte-Carlo for two, and the third place contender received a lunch experience at Le Grill at the Hotel de Paris Monte-Carlo, also for two.  

  

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Photo source: Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer

Rafael Nadal enters team into E1 championship

by: Luke Entwistle
16/01/2023

Grand Slam record-holder Rafael Nadal has entered his own team into the inaugural E1 championship, the world’s first all-electric race boat series, which is set to take place later this year.

Tennis legend Nadal is venturing into a new sport by entering his very own team into the E1 series. From the Spanish island of Mallorca, Nadal is passionate about the world’s oceans, and his commitment to the E1 championship, which aims to accelerate clean mobility and restore marine ecosystems, attests to that passion. 

Whilst the name of Nadal’s team has yet to be revealed, the Spaniard has already vocalised his excitement about being involved in the championship. 

“I’m really excited to be getting involved with a project like E1 that values sustainability and will make a positive impact on society as a whole, especially in coastal communities,” began Nadal.

He continued, “As a professional athlete, I recognise how making marginal gains has a positive impact on performance. To see this same competitive spirit and approach being applied at E1 to optimise the performance and efficiency of sustainable marine mobility is good news for our oceans.” 

Nadal is not the first sportsperson to involve themselves in the championship. Formula 1 driver Sergio Perez, who last season won the Monaco Grand Prix, has also entered a team, which will be affiliated with his native Mexico. 

Nadal, who already has a record-breaking 22 Grand Slams to his name, is currently competing in the Australian Open. After missing last season’s Monte-Carlo Masters through injury, he will be hoping to compete in the prestigious clay court tournament in 2023.

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SEE ALSO:

Inaugural E1 Championship coming to Monaco

 

Photo by E1

Hundreds of jobs up for grabs at employment forum

by: Cassandra Tanti
16/01/2023

A huge recruitment drive is being held on 26th January as the region’s biggest employers, including Monte-Carlo SBM, look to fill hundreds of positions for this year.

The Employment and Training Forum (Forum de l’emploi et de la formation), now in its 18th year, is an opportunity to meet face-to-face with more than 50 employment and training companies throughout the French Riviera and Monaco.

Organised by SIVOM Villefranche-sur-Mer, in collaboration with Monaco Employment Services, the forum covers six municipalities and attracts more than 1,500 job seekers each year.

Monaco’s biggest employer, Monte-Carlo SBM, will be represented at the event for positions at its famed institutions including the Hôtel de Paris and the Hôtel Hermitage. They will be joined by other iconic hotels including the Metropole Monte-Carlo Hotel, the Grand Hôtel du Cap Ferrat, the Royal Riviera and the Fairmont Monte-Carlo.

Employment agencies such as Adecco will also be present, as well as the armed forces, security agencies, Super U, Fragonard, and the municipalities of Villefranch-sur-Mer, Beauilieu-sur-Mer, and Cap d’Ail.

Visitors should bring their CVs and communication skills! The positions offered will be based on CDD, CDI and temporary contracts.

The forum will be held at the Beulieu-sur-Mer gymnasium on 26th January from 9am to 1pm.

For a list of the jobs on offer, visit: https://emploi.sivom-villefranche.org/offres-demploi/

Interested parties can also send their CV to: recrutement@sbm.mc

 

Photo source: Ultimate Driving Tours/Lion Stone Events

Arctic in crisis: Monaco receives world experts for scholarly talks

by: Elsa Carpenter
16/01/2023

The challenges facing the Arctic reach far beyond its icy shores, and a meeting of the world’s leading experts in Monaco has laid the groundworks to increase awareness and action at all levels of society.  

The University of the Arctic (UArctic), which unites a network of universities, colleges and research institutes from around the globe under the banner of addressing the challenges and opportunities arising in the Arctic, met at the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco last week for a two-day session of talks and debates. 

Prince Albert II, who follows in the footsteps of his namesake, the Explorer Prince Albert I, as a champion of the Poles, was present to give a welcoming speech to participants of the event. The conference was jointly hosted by his eponymous foundation – the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation (FPA2) – and Monaco’s Oceanographic Institute as well as the Prince Albert I of Monaco Foundation and the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.  

“Climate change increasingly impacts our planet, reflecting on the circumpolar regions and the Arctic nearly four times as much as the rest of the globe,” said the FPA2 ahead of the event. “We urgently need science to find the best ways to address the critical problems, not just in theory but also in practice. In order to act swiftly, we need collaboration across organisations and nations, and we need the combined expertise and knowledge of various actors.” 

Themes and topics covered included the impacts on the Arctic environment and its communities due to the “quest for natural resources”, the role of the oceans in the transition towards greener energy, and the need to develop and expand cooperation in higher education and research spheres. Key speakers were Sara Olsvig, the International Chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference in Greenland, Vladimir Ryabinin, the Executive Secretary and Assistant Director General of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission for UNESCO, and Sir Frederik Paulsen, the Chair of the Board of UArctic. 

One pertinent debate looked at whether or not the renewed interest in the Arctic is being welcomed by its populations.  

“Research in the Arctic must be rooted in equal partnerships with Indigenous Peoples,” Olsvig told the room, while calling on governments and research institutes to engage the Inuit in scientific efforts, recognise their expertise as people of the reigon, and build genuine partnerships with them. “It takes individual and collective efforts to ensure equity and ethical engagement.” 

“As creators and providers of knowledge, education and research institutions in the Arctic play an important role in developing those solutions,” concluded the FPA2. “By increasing and deepening academic collaboration and combining their expertise, institutions can contribute significantly to sustainability goals in a way that serves both the world and the Arctic.” 

 

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Photo source: UArctic/Twitter

Feel-good teddy bear auction this Friday

by: Stephanie Horsman
16/01/2023

Support a great cause and get plenty of cuddles in return with this one-of-a-kind charity event by celebrated Monaco florists Marco and Karelle Traverso. 

From their famous flower shop, Marco Traverso & Histoires d’Ours, on 3 Avenue Prince Pierre this Friday, the warm-hearted couple will auction off a special collection of teddy bears to raise money for the Monaco Disease Power association. 

They have been spreading smiles for nearly three decades from their namesake shop in Monaco, decorating homes and public venues with flowery creations that are “straight out of fairy tales”. This past holiday season, the couple took things one step farther, adorning locations all over the Principality with the world’s favourite cuddly toys, teddy bears, which found themselves at the foot of Christmas trees, behind the wheel of luxury cars, in a Michelin-star restaurant, strapped to the exteriors of buildings and filling their own shop to the brim.  

The sight was so charming that a famous auctioneer, Monaco-based Simon de Pury, took a photo of the bears at one of the locations and shared it on social media, citing the positive energy he felt from seeing these soft toys.  

The photos brought a frenzy of attention to the Traversos, who were struck with an idea: to hold a charity bear auction led by de Pury to raise awareness for the disabled, a cause particularly close to the heart of Karelle, who lost a sister at the age of 20 to severe physical and mental disabilities.  

De Pury responded almost immediately that he was behind the idea and the partnership set about organising the event.  

The bears are currently being “fostered” around the city – by Amapei, CMB, Bentley Club Monaco, Louis XV, APM Jewellery, Aline Blanche’s Inituitive Coaching, Simon de Pury, La Môme de Monaco, Kômo, Joliès Maison de Beauté, MIMI and Cartier – before they go under the gavel at 3.30pm on 20th January. And to warm the belly as well as the heart, hot chocolate and marshmallow bears will be on offer from Sparkling Van as well as sweets made by Chef Axel Monaco from cake shop Carolina Cake. 

For more information, please click here. 

 

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Photo by Monaco Life