HSH Prince Albert is now able to add the initials OLY to his name, in recognition of his personal experiences and achievements as an Olympic competitor.

The World Olympians Association (WOA) introduced the designation to help gain lasting worldwide recognition for its members.

A patron of the Association, Prince Albert represented Monaco in bobsleigh events at five consecutive Olympic Winter Games. On Thursday, November 23, the Prince, accepted the certificate recognising his OLY status from the hands of WOA President Joel Bouzou at the Prince’s Palace.

The Prince said: “I feel proud and honoured to receive this certificate under my athlete name, Albert Grimaldi OLY. Like many other athletes I trained hard for many years before reaching the Olympic Games and becoming an Olympian.

“As much as the goal, I treasured this journey, which taught me how to dedicate myself and build up an open-minded character. Therefore, I greatly support this initiative, which will promote the skills of many Olympians and help them find opportunities in society after the end of their sports career.”

So far more than 3,000 Olympians have registered to add OLY to their names since the scheme’s launch earlier in November at the eighth International Olympic Committee Forum in Lausanne.

OLY was created not only as recognition of past achievements, but also to promote Olympians’ social, charitable and community-based work and to act as a reminder of their responsibility to represent Olympic values in everyday life.

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