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Day: 12 April 2024

Padel Best Expo’s debut event in Monaco concludes on a high note

by: Niki Borisova
12/04/2024
padel best expo

The first-ever Padel Best Expo in Monaco has come to an end. The event brought together padel enthusiasts, celebrities from across the world of sport, VIP visitors and the public for three fantastic days of play and discussions on key themes such as diversity and inclusivity.  

Between 7th and 9th April, the Grimaldi Forum hosted the inaugural edition of the Padel Best Expo, an event concept from Italy’s BSG that championed the increasingly popular sport as well as a number of important charitable causes.  

Padel courts were set up inside and outside of the venue, which served as both an exhibition space for the many companies in attendance and a competitive arena.  

Inclusivity and diversity in sport were among the main themes of the event, and an array of tournaments took place over the course of the three days, with special categories for clubs, young players, women, wheelchair users and even sports celebrities. 

The VIP Sports tournament attracted participation from football icons such as Andriy Shevchenko and Fabio Cannavaro, but it was a pair of players from the local Barbagiuans team, Manuel Vallaurio and Jordan Klein, who won the tournament. The duo also won last year’s Five Padel Cup title. 

See more: The first ever Padel Best Expo is underway in Monaco

The FIP Rise Monaco professional tournament, a part of the 2024 CUPRA FIP Tour, was another of the event’s highlights. After a series of increasingly intense on-court battles, Daniel Santigosa and Guillermo Collado clinched the victory.  

“Their victory here at the Grimaldi Forum marks a significant milestone as they continue their winning streak this season,” said Cécilia d’Ambrosio, President of the Monegasque Padel Federation. 

Among those who attended the event in a professional capacity were: Secretary of State Yvette Lambin-Berti; Mathilde Le Clerc, President of the National Council’s Education, Youth and Sport Committee; and Louis Ducruet, nephew to Prince Albert II of Monaco and President of the Barbagiuans team.  

A portion of the proceeds of the event was donated to Fights AIDS Monaco, the Principality-based charity founded by Ducruet’s mother, Princess Stéphanie. A special gala evening at Twiga Monte-Carlo took place during the evening of 9th April, and guests were encouraged to dig deep to support the charity as well as Shevchenko’s Football for Ukraine initiative.  

Roberta Ceccarelli, CEO of BSG, has expressed her satisfaction with the event’s success, saying, “We’ve established a dynamic forum that not only highlights padel as a sport, but also embraces its potential to foster community and support notable causes.” 

Check out our Padel Best Expo reel below:


 

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Photo credit: Frédéric Nebinger / Monaco Communications Department

Michel Bassompierre’s Giants of the Ice take up residence at the Musée Océanographique de Monaco

by: Niki Borisova
12/04/2024

A gigantic Emperor penguin stands watch over the lobby of the Musée Océanographique de Monaco and four colossal polar bears look out over the Principality from the rooftop of the museum. The magnificent animals might not be real-life, but these Giants of the Ice certainly command a lot of attention.  

On 10th April, Prince Albert II of Monaco officially inaugurated the Musée Océanographique’s latest exhibition. Featuring five works of sculptural art by Michel Bassompierre, the Giants of the Ice exhibit is designed to inspire visitors and bring to the fore important questions and discussions on the vulnerability of the world’s polar regions.  

Bassompierre is a well-known French artist whose signature style is creating giant contemporary sculptures of animals, and he created each of these five animal sculptures specifically for the exhibition. 

“For 50 years I have been creating animal sculptures, as I find animals to be extraordinary and beautiful,” he says. “I want to protect animals through my sculptures by raising awareness, as animal life is so important to environmental stability… The duty of artists is to share our sense of beauty, to create wonder. This reconnection to the beauty of nature is essential to inspire the desire to protect it.” 

Prince Albert II of Monaco was given the honour of inaugurating the new temporary exhibit, which will run until 6th October. Photo credit: Frédéric Pacorel / Musée Océanographique de Monaco 

Visitors will first encounter the Emperor penguin in the welcome hall, while the polar bears can be enjoyed on the rooftop terrace of the museum.  

Other works from Bassompierre, including original sketches, drawings and a film, are also on display in the main exhibition space.  

The Giants of the Ice exhibition will run until 6th October.

Check out our Instagram reel below:

 

Read related: 

Art meets conservation in Michel Bassompierre’s ‘The Giants of Ice’ at the Musée Océanographique

 

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Photo credit: Frédéric Pacorel / Musée Océanographique de Monaco 

Basketball: Roca Team squeak past FC Bayern for big EuroLeague win ahead of the playoffs

by: Stephanie Horsman
12/04/2024
euroleague playoffs

With less than two weeks to go before the playoffs begin, AS Monaco’s Roca Team have finished off their regular EuroLeague season on a high note, beating FC Bayern Munich 89-85 in a nail-biter of a game at home in the Salle Gaston Médecin.  

The Roca Team is now in a comfortable third place in the EuroLeague standings, a premium position bolstered by their 89-85 win on Thursday 11th April against FC Bayern Munich.  

With the EuroLeague playoffs fast approaching, AS Monaco Basket only has a short time to reflect on and recover from a solid season so far in the European league. To date, the Roca Team have 23 wins and just 11 losses behind them.  

This latest win, though, was harder fought than many, and saw the Monaco side play against a determined FC Bayern, who didn’t give an inch.   

“I am very happy with our results in the EuroLeague this year, it’s a great success.,” gushed Coach Sasa Obradovic after the game. “We faced many difficulties. We faced incredible teams. It’s not easy to play this match against a team that had nothing to lose. We found a way to deal with the difficulties. Congratulations to my players who also make me better.”  

The Serbian coach continued, “Whoever the opponent is [in the playoffs], I have no preference, there will be no easy victory, it will be another physical fight. We learned from last year. We will have an even better mental approach. It was a long season, mentally and physically.” 

Alpha Diallo was the top scorer of the game, with an incredible 20 points to his name, followed closely by Mike James, who sank 17. Élie Okobo rounded out the podium with a solid showing, scoring 14 points.  

The win ensures a home advantage in the playoffs, which start on 23rd April between the top six teams and two runners-up.  

Read related:

Roca Team strengthens position in EuroLeague Top 4 with victory against Zalgiris Kaunas

 

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Photo credit: AS Monaco Basketball 

Cannes Film Festival: Official Selection revealed, Greta Gerwig chosen as President of the Jury

by: Stephanie Horsman
12/04/2024
cannes film festival

The Official Selection for the 2024 Cannes Film Festival has been announced, and the line-up features an eclectic mix of big Hollywood names and exciting international talent. 

Set to take place between Tuesday 14th and Saturday 25th May, the 77th edition of the fabled Cannes Film Festival is shaping up to be, as ever, one of the biggest and most anticipated events of the year.  

WORLD PREMIERES 

The Festival’s opening film is the latest creation by French filmmaker and DJ Quentin Dupieux: The Second Act. The film doesn’t feature in the list of In Competition films, but is likely up to be one of the year’s big French language comedy hits. It stars Léa Seydoux and Vincent Lindon.  

Another world premiere attracting huge attention is Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice, a not-so-flattering fictionalised biopic on Donald Trump’s real estate career in the 1970s and 1980s. Sebastian Stan plays the man himself and Jeremy Strong will feature in the role of Trump’s unscrupulous lawyer and fixer Roy Cohn. The film is part of the official In Competition selection.

IN COMPETITION 

Among the other titles In Competition are: Magnus von Horn’s The Girl with the Needle; Karim Aïnouz’s Motel Destino; Jia Zhang-Ke’s Caught by the Tides; Bird by Andrea Arnold; Emilia Perez by Jacques Audiard; Sean Baker’s Anora; Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis; The Shrouds from David Cronenberg; The Substance from Coralie Fargeat; Miguel Gomes’ Grand Tour; Marcello Mio from Christophe Honoré; All We Imagine as Light by Payal Kapadia; Kinds of Kindness from Yórgos Lánthimos; L’Amour Ouf by Gilles Lellouche; Agathe Riedinger’s Wild Diamond; Paul Schrader’s Oh Canada; Kirill Serebrennikov’s Limonov – The Ballad; and Parthenope from Paolo Sorrentino.  

UN CERTAIN REGARD 

15 films have been shortlisted for the Un Certain Regard category, including six films that are their directors’ first-ever feature length productions. These include: Julien Colonna’s Le Royaume; Louise Courvoisier’s Vingt Deux !; Dog on Trial from Laetitia Dosch; Mo Harawe’s The Village Next to Paradise; September Says by Ariane Labed; and Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel’s Armand.  

FAMILIAR FACES 

This year, there will be some familiar faces at the event, including the return of actor-director Kevin Costner, who will be showcasing his latest film, a western called Horizon: An American Saga. The cast includes the likes of Costner himself, Sienna Miller, Abby Lee and Jamie Campbell.  

“I couldn’t dream of a better place than the Cannes Film Festival to reveal to the world the result of such a beautiful adventure,” says Costner. 

The Mad Max franchise will also be present, with George Miller set to present his latest movie, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, which stars Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke and Anya Taylor-Joy.  

GRETA GERWIG AS PRESIDENT OF THE JURY 

The 2024 edition will be memorable for electing the first American woman as President of the Jury. 40-year-old Barbie director Greta Gerwig is also one of the youngest jury presidents in the history of the prestigious event. Not since 1966, when a 31-year-old Sophia Loren was at the helm, has anyone so youthful taken on this role.  

79-year-old mega-director George Lucas, the man behind the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, has been announced as the recipient of an honorary Palme d’Or, which will be presented as part of the Festival’s closing ceremonies on Saturday 25th May. 

For more information on the films in and out of competition, click here.

Read related:

Filming of new Michael Jackson biopic, A Gift from God, underway in Menton

 

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Photo credit: Mathile Gardel / Festival de Cannes