09/11/2026 - Monaco Life

Two cyclists injured during Monaco International Triathlon

09/11/2026

Two competitors were injured during the cycling leg of the Monaco International Triathlon on Sunday 8^th November as the event returned to the Principality for the first time since 2012.

Emergency crews were called to the descent from Èze, where a 35-year-old woman and a 21-year-old man were injured. The woman was reportedly admitted to intensive care, while the man sustained less serious injuries.

According to initial reports, one cyclist fell on the descent before a second incident involving a vehicle that had come to assist. French gendarmes attended the scene and were looking into the circumstances of both incidents.

TWO RACE DISTANCES

Around 1,200 athletes took part across the two race distances, both of which started with a sea swim at Larvotto Beach. The Olympic-distance event consisted of a 1.5km swim, a 40km bike ride, and a 10km run. The long-distance race paired a 2km swim with a roughly 90km bike course and a 20km run. Riders on the longer route faced over 2,000 metres of climbing in the hills overlooking Monaco.

The cycling route took competitors through sections of Monaco’s Formula 1 circuit and into the surrounding French hills. The run passed through Mareterra before athletes finished at Larvotto.

MENNESSON AND MORIZOT WIN LONG-DISTANCE RACES

William Mennesson won the men’s long-distance race in 4 hours, 36 minutes, and 21 seconds, ahead of Maxence Castel and David Marchaud. Aurélie Morizot won the women’s race in 5 hours, 28 minutes, and 12 seconds, finishing more than 45 minutes ahead of runner-up Marie Parmentier.

In the Olympic-distance event, AS Monaco Triathlon’s Mathieu Merland took the men’s title, while Lorenza Beccaria won the women’s race.

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Photo credit: Eric Barnabé / Monaco International Triathlon

Olivia Wilde, Penélope Cruz and a few surprises: Monte-Carlo Film Festival unveils its line-up

by: Virginia D’Umas

09/11/2026

Laughter is serious business, but from 11th to 14th November the Grimaldi Forum turns it into pure art. Celebrating its 23rd edition under the High Patronage of Prince Albert II and the Italian Embassy, the Monte-Carlo Film Festival de la Comédie returns to the Principality.

Founded and chaired by Italian screen icon Ezio Greggio, this remains the only international film festival exclusively dedicated to comedy. This year’s lineup dives beyond simple punchlines, using humour to dissect social climbing, high-tech absurdities, fragile romances, and the chaotic beauty of human nature.

AI and social climbers open the line-up

The festival opens out-of-competition on Wednesday 11th November at 3pm with the world premiere of Un Weekend Artificiale, directed by and starring Tuscan comedian Leonardo Pieraccioni. The story follows a hairdresser trapped in a luxury villa with six strangers, tasked with uncovering which guest is secretly an AI humanoid.

The official competition kicks off later that evening at 8pm with Spanish director Víctor García León’s Altas Capacidades, a biting comedy tracking a middle-class couple whose desperate quest to get their son into an elite school tests their moral limits.

From pizza satire to Olivia Wilde’s ‘The Invite’

Thursday 12th November delivers a packed schedule of international premieres. Morning audiences (10:45am) get Carlo Padial’s Pizza Movies, which parodies dream startups through a struggling critic who opens a cinema-themed pizzeria with broke movie buffs. In the afternoon at 2:45pm, Niccolò Gentili’s Italian comedy Dov’è la Fiesta? follows a new couple whose critical ‘where are we heading?’ talk devolves into a wild week of chasing a stolen car through police stations and convents.

*A scene from Olivia Wilde’s movie ‘The Invite’. Photo credit: A24*

The star-studded highlight arrives at 7:45pm with the Monte-Carlo premiere of Olivia Wilde’s The Invite. Starring Wilde alongside Penelope Cruz, Edward Norton, and Seth Rogen, the film explores what happens when a couple going through a rough patch invites their mysterious upstairs neighbours over for dinner.

Biting class wars and unlikely friendships

Friday 13th November brings three final feature premieres. At 10:45am, the French world premiere Camembert, starring Kristin Scott Thomas, turns an innocent family board game into an all-out class war.

*Agnes and Amir by German director Helena Hufnagel. Photo credit: Nordpolaris – Anne Wilk*

At 2:45pm, German director Helena Hufnagel presents Agnes & Amir, a tender exploration of an isolated elderly woman and a young Iranian refugee. The feature competition wraps up at 7:45pm with Gianni Zanasi’s È Andata Così, where a woman stuck in the countryside with the three key men in her life finds quiet peace in total acceptance.

Bite-sized comedy and the grand finale

Short film fans can catch the four ‘Short Comedy Award 2026’ contenders back-to-back on Wednesday evening from 7pm. Highlights include Pierre-Loup Docteur’s Zohra sans permis, about a 70-year-old taking driving lessons to pilot a vintage Alfa Romeo, and Donald McQuade’s Please Hold, depicting a man whose defective toaster and automated customer support destroy his morning. Rounding out the night are India Santella’s tense Christmas dinner story Olive and Eulalie Elsker’s Marseille-set romance Serenade.

The festival concludes on Saturday 14th November with the glamorous ‘Gala des Awards’ at the Grimaldi Forum, featuring prominent guests from international cinema. Tickets for the awards night are available for €50 on montecarlofilmfestival.com.

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Ezio Greggio, founder of the Monte-Carlo Film Festival de la Comédie. Photo credit: Mediaset Infinity

Princess Charlene goes behind the scenes to meet the people who keep Monaco spotless

by: Virginia D’Umas

09/11/2026

Princess Charlene paid a morning visit on Friday 6th November to the Waste Processing Centre of the Société Monégasque d’Assainissement (SMA) to meet staff and observe their daily operations first-hand.

Joined by her brother, Gareth Wittstock, and Antoine Zeghdar, the Princess toured the facilities and met the teams tasked with public cleansing, waste collection, treatment, and recycling across Monaco.

*Princess Charlene visiting Monaco’s SMA Waste Centre. Photo credit: Michaël Alesi / Palais princier*

Essential work behind Monaco’s image

During the visit, Princess Charlene expressed her gratitude to the workforce responsible for maintaining the Principality’s public spaces and residential environment, saying: “Thanks to you, Monaco is clean and it is a pleasure to live in our beautiful Principality.”

From left to right: Thomas Battaglione (SMA’s Managing Director), Princess Charlene, Gareth Wittstock and Antoine Zeghdar (Monegasque rugby player and ambassador for the Princess Charlene Foundation). Photo credit: Michaël Alesi / Palais princier

Approaching 90 years of service

For 88 years, the SMA has operated continuous waste management services across Monaco, managing routine operations as well as large-scale cleanup efforts during major international events hosted in the Principality.

Ahead of its 90th anniversary in 2028, the organisation continues to focus on modernising its recycling capabilities and maintaining high environmental standards across the territory.

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Click on the gallery for more images of the event. Photos credit: Palais princier

Monégasque skydiver Tom Mattoni crowned world champion in Arizona

by: Virginia D’Umas

09/11/2026

Monégasque skydiver Tom Mattoni has claimed the world title in four-way open relative work at the Skydiving World Championships in Eloy, Arizona. His gold medal victory led a successful French delegation that also included a bronze medal for Nice-native Adrien Gallot.

The French delegation delivered a dominant performance at the competition, held from 18th to 24th October, securing five gold medals and one bronze across relative work, artistic events, and canopy piloting.

Out of 22 French competitors, 19 returned home with a medal, with local athletes from the Principality and the Alpes-Maritimes playing a key role in the team’s overall success.

*Tom Mattoni with the Excalibur trophy after taking gold at the 2026 World Skydiving Championships in Eloy, Arizona. Photo credit: Anthony Vergnet*

Tom Mattoni and the Excalibur trophy

Tom Mattoni, a 22-year-old Monégasque skydiver representing the Monaco Parachute Team, claimed the world title in four-way open relative work. Alongside teammates Damien Gouriou, Clémentine Le Bohec, Alban Rumolo, and camera flyer Cameron Malie, the team captured the event’s prestigious trophy, the Excalibur.

The victory adds to Mattoni’s growing record and highlights the continued investment of the Monaco Parachute Team in supporting local talent.

*Adrien Gallot, who secured a bronze medal, alongside his partner Laurie Lubbé. Photo credit: Sébastien Chambet*

Strong performance in artistic events

In the freestyle discipline, Adrien Gallot secured a bronze medal alongside his partner Laurie Lubbé. Licensed with the Nice Parachute Circle and based in Tourrette-Levens, Gallot competed in an event often described as an aerial dance. Freestyle teams combine acrobatic maneuvers and freefly figures, which are filmed live by a camera flyer and scored by judges on technical difficulty, execution, and video framing.

The French Parachuting Federation praised the collective effort of coaches, regional clubs, and support networks in preparing the athletes for international competition. The achievements of Mattoni and Gallot underline the strong presence of Riviera-based parachuting clubs on the world stage.

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Skydiving World Championships in Arizona. Photo credit: Sébastien Chambet

Monaco Basket Association beat Geispolsheim for seventh straight league win

by: Kayla Sauceda

09/11/2026

Maud Stervinou scored 24 points as Monaco Basket Association (MBA) beat Geispolsheim 94-86 on Saturday 7^th November, pulling away after halftime to preserve their unbeaten league record.

Playing without Julie Tetart, who was injured against Aulnoye the previous weekend, MBA took an early 19-8 lead with an 11-0 run. Geispolsheim wiped out the deficit in two minutes to edge ahead 22-21. Monaco responded, however, in the final minutes to close out the first quarter leading by two.

A well-fought second quarter from both sides resulted in an even score with only three minutes before halftime. Although Léa Djoko helped Geispolsheim remain competitive with 15 points and six rebounds on the evening, Monaco went up 47-45 at the halfway mark.

MONACO PULL AWAY

Stervinou, who hit six of nine attempts beyond the arc, helped Monaco open up a double-digit lead in the third quarter. The visitors were up 64-49 midway through the third. Monaco built an 11-point lead to head into the final quarter of the game.

Although Geispolsheim won the final quarter 21-18, Monaco’s cushion built in the third was enough for victory.

KEBOUM POSTS A DOUBLE-DOUBLE

Four Monaco players reached double figures away from home. Ilona Hattab scored 19 points with four rebounds and four assists, while Stepha M’Baye added 15 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Sarah-Yvanna Keboum had a game-high 12 rebounds and 11 points. Monaco finished with 21 assists overall and made 24 of their 31 free throw attempts.

The result keeps MBA leading the Ligue Féminine 2 standings after seven rounds, one win ahead of Voiron and Cavigal Nice. Monaco will host Nice in their next league game, where they will have to prove their place at the top of the standings.

Photo credit: John Rellegue / MBA

In pictures: Princely Couple attends 60th Anniversary Gala for Monaco’s Princely Carabiniers

by: Virginia D’Umas

09/11/2026

Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene attended a gala concert on Friday 6th November at the Grimaldi Forum to mark the 60th anniversary of the Orchestre des Carabiniers du Prince.

Founded in 1966 under the guidance of Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace, the ensemble has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past six decades. What began as a modest fanfare, or clique, has evolved into a world-class orchestra led by Major Olivier Dréan.

*L’Orchestre des Carabiniers du Prince. Photo credit: Frédéric Nebinger / Palais princier*

Servants of the Palace, masters of the stage

While the musicians are soldiers first and foremost, carrying out daily operational duties in service of the Sovereign and the Princely Palace, their shared passion for music has taken them far beyond the Principality’s borders.

Today, the ensemble performs regularly on national and international stages, acting as cultural ambassadors for Monaco.

*The Princely Couple. Photo credit: Frédéric Nebinger / Palais princier*

A fit tribute to six decades of heritage

Organised in aid of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, the anniversary evening concluded with warm congratulations from Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene. The Princely Couple expressed their heartfelt gratitude to the orchestra members for 60 years of steadfast dedication to the Principality, its cultural life, and its enduring traditions.

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Click on the gallery for more images of the event. Photos credit: Palais princier