It’s official: Nice will be a stage city for the Paris 2024 Olympic Torch Relay

23/06/2023

The Paris 2024 Olympic Torch Relay route has been revealed, with Nice among 65 cities to host the iconic relay in June.

On Friday 23rd June, the Organising Committee for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 unveiled the next Olympic Torch Relay route in the symbolic Sorbonne University, where Pierre de Coubertin held the founding speech for the Modern Olympic Games.

The Torch Relay will start in Olympia on 16th April 2024 with the arrival of the Olympic flame in Marseille on 8th May from Athens, Greece.

Its 68-day journey will then officially begin, taking in 65 French territories courtesy of 10,000 Torch bearers visiting some of the most iconic and historic places in the host nation.

Olympic Torch Relay in Nice

On 18^th June, the flame will arrive in Nice after completing an ‘Oceans Relay’ of five overseas territories: Guadeloupe, French Guyane, Martinique, French Polynesia and the Réunion.

After Nice, the torch is expected to travel through Antibes, Juan-les-Pins, Cannes, Grasse, Villefranche-sur-mer, Valberg and La Colmiane.

It is set to be a huge celebration, designed to create excitement in the lead up to the Paris Games which are due to kick off on Friday 26^th July 2024.

The “Forerunners Relay”

Also called “Forerunners Relay”, it will highlight the beauty and diversity of France – its history, outstanding panoramas, expertise, traditions, talents, creators and innovators – and announce the return of the Olympic Summer Games, 100 years after France last hosted the event.

“Today, we are proud to unveil the route of the Olympic Torch Relay, which will be more than a circuit around France in 68 days. It will showcase the incredible breadth of our country: Heritage, landscapes, museums, performing arts… And of course, its inhabitants,” said Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024.

The Olympic flame will visit the likes of the medieval fortress of Carcassonne (Occitanie), the Chateau de Versailles, and the Chateaux of the Loire Valley. It will illuminate architectural masterworks like churches and abbeys, including the iconic Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, and highlight some of the major figures who inspired and contributed to French culture such as Jeanne d’Arc, hero of the Hundred Years’ War, in Orléans.

The Relay will travel through more than 400 cities including 65 stage cities. Torch bearers will cover an average distance of 200 metres each.

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Image source: olympics.com

Sir Tom Jones to headline Nice Jazz Festival

by: Stephanie Horsman

23/06/2023

The legendary Tom Jones will be joined by top talent including Herbie Hancock and the Tower of Power at the Nice Jazz Festival next month.

This year, the Théâtre de Verdure and Place Masséna will host talented musicians from all over the world for four spectacular nights of music. The diverse schedule has not only great jazz, but also contemporary and world music, giving the event a “something-for-everyone” appeal.

The artists set to perform include the five-time grammy winner Dianne Reeves, Herbie Hancock, Tower of Power, jazz bassist Dave Holland, powerful disco singer Juliette Armanet, Latin-Caribbean artists Yuri Buenaventura and Roberto Fonseca, and eclectic performer -M-… Not forgetting the headline act Tom Jones!

HISTORY

Nice Jazz dates back to 1948 and counts itself as the world’s first ever dedicated jazz festival. That first year, the event took place in February, after Carnival, in the opera house and the old casino on Place Masséna. It was broadcast live on French radio and featured the incomparable Louis Armstrong as the top billed act.

SIDE EVENTS

In addition to the festival, which will have performances running at both venues simultaneously, there are plenty of side events too this July, such as Jazz Off on 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 16th July on the hill of the Château, which will feature the Boom Brass Band, the Philadelphia Jazz Orchestra, a swing master class, and music from The Peaky Sliders.

There will also be the return of Nice Jazz Festival Sessions. The line-up hasn’t been released yet, but the organisers say it will be coming soon.

The Nice Jazz Festival runs from 18th to 21st July. Tickets start at €40, with two-day passes going for €75. For more information or to purchase tickets, click here.

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Photo source: Nice Jazz Festival

Water Safety Day students at Larvotto beach cheered on by Princess Charlene

by: Elsa Carpenter

23/06/2023

Princess Charlene headed down to the beachfront in Larvotto to look on as students from the Principality took part in her eponymous foundation’s Water Safety Day.

The Princess wasn’t the only celebrity figure to participate at this year’s Water Safety Day in Monaco. World freediving record holder Pierre Frolla as well as a host of other sporting personalities, including Swim-Run champions Kate Williams and Alexandre Bermond, and taekwondo Olympic medalist Marlene Harnois, were all on hand to help the 100 Monaco-educated students hone and practise their skills at sea.

“Having these champions present reinforces the drowning prevention message and helps create positive inspiration for children,” says the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation.

*The students were taught life-saving techniques such as CPR and the recovery position. Photo credit: Eric Mathon / Palais Princier de Monaco*

Coastal Rescue world champion Julien Lalanne was also present to supervise workshops and shared his stories with the 5th grade classes of the Charles III College, 6th graders from the Institution François D’Assise-Nicolas Barré and pupils from the CM2 classes of the Ecole de la Condamine.

The young students were taught how to perform a coastal rope rescue, how to use rescue tubes and rescue boards, and the potentially life-saving skill of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). A new environmental and climate awareness workshop wrapped up a hands-on day of learning.

The event, held on 22nd June, was co-organised by the Monegasque Sea Academy, the Monaco Red Cross and the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation.

It followed on from a similar Water Safety Day organised by the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation that was held last week in Calvi, Corsica. The Water Safety Days are held annually.

Read more:

Photos: Princess Charlene joins kids on Corsican beach for ‘Water Safety Days’

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Photo credit: Eric Mathon / Palais Princier de Monaco

Monaco looks to Cyprus for growth opportunities

by: Stephanie Horsman

23/06/2023

Against the backdrop of a meeting of the Small States of Europe, representatives from Monaco and Cyprus convened to discuss the possibility of future partnerships between the two Mediterranean nations.

Founded in Monaco in 2006 by Stéphane Valeri, the Conference of Presidents of the Parliaments of the Small States of Europe (CPPPEE) is an annual meeting with the purpose of strengthening interparliamentary relations between the nine small states of Europe.

Thus, representative from Andorra, Cyprus, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro and San Marino gathered from 18th to 20th June in Luxembourg to discuss the issues and challenges facing their nations.

In a separate meeting held outside the conference, Monaco’s National Council President Brigitte Boccone-Pagès met with Annita Demetriou, the president of the House of Representatives of Cyprus, to consider ways to strengthen their relationship.

Cyprus and Monaco already have economic ties. In 2018, Monaco Telecom became a nearly 50% shareholder in the country’s second largest and fastest growing telecom company, MTN, which has since been renamed Epic. It was a €260 million deal.

During the recent meeting, Boccone-Pagès and Demetriou agreed to a series of regular videoconferences over the next 12 months, which will give them a platform to discuss a range of topics of common interest, with a particular emphasis on the digital economy.

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Photo credit: Conseil National de Monaco

MYS announces how it plans to become a carbon neutral event

by: Stephanie Horsman

23/06/2023

The world’s highest profile yacht show is paving the way for a more sustainable future with the MYS Carbon Neutrality Transition Plan.

Aside from its annual showcase of the world’s most beautiful and stylish superyachts, the Monaco Yacht Show (MYS) has also long been a stage for innovation, particularly with an eye to sustainability and environmentally-conscious technologies.

Now MYS is taking that commitment one step further with the announcement of a three-phase Carbon Neutrality Transition Plan that will lower the show’s carbon footprint dramatically.

THE GOALS

MYS organisers used the data collected from last year’s event to calculate the overall carbon footprint left not just by the show itself, but that of visitors, service providers, exhibitors and the yachts themselves. This information has allowed a “big picture” view of the show and its emissions, and helped organisers in setting out their objectives.

In a webinar held on 21st June, organisers brought together suppliers and exhibitors to explain how the new Carbon Neutrality Transition Plan is going to work.

The idea is to roll out the programme in three phases, to allow their working partners time to join them on their path to making the show the most sustainable in the world. Central to this is the goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 60% by 2025, compared to 2022 levels.

This is line with the Principality’s own goals of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050.

Phase 1 of the Carbon Neutrality Transition Plan is to lessen emissions via systems and practices the show is directly in control of. One of the biggest culprits is air conditioning, which amounted to 48.5 tonnes across the four-day event in 2022, so by reducing reliance on these massive cooling systems, the show will be able to make considerable headway on its aims.

Phase 2 will consider indirect emissions from water usage and electricity, which are surprisingly low for such a large event. The water usage amounted to 0.1 tonnes of related carbon emissions and 2.4 tonnes for electricity.

Phase 3 will be trickier as it involves activities outside the direct control of the MYS, and includes sectors such as waste, transport, suppliers and exhibitors.

This was by far the most carbon-heavy group, with the extrapolated data showing that the biggest polluters were exhibitors, who generated 77 tonnes of CO2, which is roughly the same as driving a diesel car 620,000 kilometres. Service providers came in next at 39 tonnes, which is the same as the power needed to run a television set for 741 years.

Visitors added 6,608 tonnes, waste contributed five tonnes, and employees just one tonne. Though smaller figures, they do add up and demonstrate the need for everyone to actively work towards reducing their output in order to make the MYS as environmentally responsible as possible.

During the webinar, MYS organisers emphasised the need for collaboration if the show is to reach its goals, and reminded partners that demonstrating sustainability in practice can help build the future of business for the yachting industry and beyond.

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Photo by Monaco Life

Day: 23 June 2023