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Sport concussion conference: increased awareness and early detection is vital

by: Cassandra Tanti
14/10/2022

The Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation has brought together experts, sports clubs and federations for a conference on concussions in sport, raising awareness and looking at the latest medical advancements in this field.

More than 50 people gathered for this first conference at the Meridien Beach Plaza on 13th October. The Foundation, alongside its partners in the medical sector, wanted to strengthen the sharing of information on concussions and microtraumas in the sports world, the treatment of which is crucial.

The event featured expert speakers in the subject of concussions including Dr. Nicolas Capet, Neurologist at the Princess Grace Hospital Centre (CHPG), Dr. Yann-Erick Claessens, Doctor and Head of the Emergency Department at the CHPG, Dr. Renaud David, Psychiatrist at the Center Hospitalier Universitaire de Nice and expert for the French Football Federation, the National Rugby League and the Federation of Combat Sports and Martial Arts, and Prof. Pierre Fremont, Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation at the Faculty of Medicine, Laval University in Quebec. As a clinician and researcher, he has developed extensive expertise in implementation issues related to concussion prevention, detection and management in settings ranging from youth developmental sport to international competition.

Photo credit: Eric Mathon, Prince’s Palace

 

A number of representatives from sports entities, such as clubs and associations, came to listen to their expert opinions.

Professor Pierre Fremont, a recognised specialist in Canada and around the world, insisted on the need for prevention and detection among young sports people, especially those engaging in contact sports.

For Dr. Nicolas Capet, “it is important to emphasise that concussions are frequent events in the lives of athletes exposed to contact, but they rapidly develop favourably in the vast majority of cases if their care is organised. The optimal management of these seemingly innocuous traumas is based on a specific multidisciplinary care system but also on the information and training of sports educators, school teaching teams and parents from early childhood.”

Through the Sport and Education program, the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation works to relay the positive values ​​of sport and to promote health through sport. For several years, the Foundation has also supported initiatives related to concussions, in particular with the British association Love of the Game, which funds the research and development of solutions to help in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of concussions and related issues.

 

 

 

Photo above credit: Eric Mathon, Prince’s Palace

 

 

 

 

Monaco set to celebrate the return of the International Circus Festival

by: Stephanie Horsman
13/10/2022

The 45th International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo and the 10th New Generation Festival are back in 2023 with all the usual magic and a few surprises!

After two years of cancellations due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival is returning in January to celebrate its 45th edition, along with the 10th anniversary of the New Generation Festival, showcasing young, up-and-coming talent.

The organising committee, headed up by Princess Stephanie, has an exciting show lined up including a fusion of the two events, where numbers from the New Generation event will be integrated into the International Circus festival, giving guests a chance to see the best of the best in circus entertainment.

As ever, a jury will be on hand to select the bronze, silver and gold winners of the coveted Clown Awards, given to the most creative and unique acts by the show’s jugglers, magicians, clowns, equilibrists and animals. Equally, the New Generation performers will receive similar awards for their efforts, and both groups will be honoured at the Gala Awards Ceremony which will be held on Tuesday 24th January.

The circus, started by Prince Rainier III in 1974, was formed to create a place where traditional circus performers and their families could be supported and showcase their talents to audiences. This small idea has gone on to blossom into the largest circus festival in the world, and has spawned other circus-related events in Monaco, such as the summer workshops, which lets kids try their hands at juggling, acrobatics and other fun activities, as well as the celebration of World Circus Day.

The International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo will be held from 20th to 29th January 2023 at the Chapiteau de l’Espace Fontvieille. Tickets, which are on sale now, as well as more information, can be found online at www.montecarlofestival.mc and www.francebillet.com/  or at the ticket office of the Chapiteau from Monday to Friday, 10am to 1pm and from 2pm to 6pm.

 

 

Photo source: International Circus Festival of Monaco

 

 

 

 

EU plan to mobilise young people for change

by: Stephanie Horsman
12/10/2022

The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU’s governing institutions, has adopted a new plan, the Youth Action Plan, which targets young people around the globe to come together to “build a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable future”.

The European Union’s latest strategic partnership isn’t with a continent, country or even a government. It is with the young people of the world, whom they hope to mobilise as a powerful force for change.

As part of the European Year of Youth, the new Youth Action Plan in EU External Action is looking to unite youth in partner countries with those in the European Union, and it is guided by three principles: engagement, empowerment, and connections.

By engaging, the EC intends to increase youth voices in policy and decision-making. They will also endeavour to fight inequality and provide young people with the skills needed to be effective members of a global society, thus empowering them. Finally, the plan will connect youth through networking and exchanges, giving them opportunities outside their normal spheres and fostering friendships and understanding.

“With the world undergoing a demographic transition, the Youth Action Plan will be an important contribution to our pursuit of intergenerational solidarity and equity,” said European Commission Vice-President for Democracy and Demography Dubravka Šuica. “We need to empower children and young people across the world, ensure that they have concrete opportunities and promote the effective engagement of young people and children as a right, ensuring no one is left behind. We share the collective responsibility to build more democratic, equal and peaceful societies, also for future generations.”

Some of the new and ongoing initiatives falling under this umbrella plan include the Youth and Women in Democracy Initiative, a €40 million project that will give youth and women activists and organisations the chance to participate more fully in political affairs. They will also be backing the Youth Empowerment Fund, a pilot scheme that will provide direct financial backing to youth-led projects in partner nations who are promoting sustainable development at a grass-roots level. Additionally, the plan will fund the Africa-Europe Youth Academy, which will funnel €50 million in fiscal support to young people from Africa who are willing to improve their leadership skills and become policy-makers.

As Commissioner for International Partnership Jutta Urpilainen said of the overall good that is hoping to be achieved: “The Youth Action Plan lives up to our commitment to putting youth at the centre of the EU’s external action for sustainable development, equality, and peace and giving them a real voice to shape the solutions for a better future. We have heard young people and will meaningfully engage, empower and connect with them while providing them with opportunities, starting with the Global Gateway Strategy, the EU’s offer to partners for investments that work for people and the planet.”

 

Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

 

 

 

Leclerc, Ferrari and the false prophecy of 2022

by: Luke Entwistle
11/10/2022

Under the floodlights of Sakhir, Ferrari fans worldwide revelled in a moment of catharsis. Pre-season expectations were realised; Charles Leclerc was atop the podium. But that was as good as it got.

Fans of the prancing horse went into this season with an unusual sensation: hope. Following over a decade of mediocrity, the signs from pre-season testing were more than encouraging. Pundits and experts alike had heavily tipped them for a strong season.

Having given up early on last year’s model, preparations for the sweeping set of rule changes that were brought in for the 2022 season were made early. The horse had essentially bolted out of the starting gate before their rivals, and the result was a car that looked unpeered at the opening race in Bahrain in late march.

The stars seemed to have aligned for Ferrari, and for Leclerc. The prophecy was written, the world title beckoned. But as the season wore on, it slowly and agonisingly became more apparent that this prophecy would not be fulfilled.

A visual metaphor

If one is looking for an explanation for Ferrari’s shortcomings, one needn’t look any further than the image of Sergio Perez’s Red Bull and Leclerc’s Ferrari side-by-side following Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix. For Leclerc, it was the race in which the bell finally tolled on his lifeless championship aspirations; for Max Verstappen, it represented a just reward for an imperious season.

The state of Ferrari’s heavily worn, degraded intermediate tyres, juxtaposed with the relatively fresh set on Perez’s Red Bull, provided the perfect visual metaphor. It is here, more so than elsewhere, where the title was won and lost, whilst the contrast only goes to highlight the development of the Red Bull, and the stasis of the Ferrari, which has struggled to keep pace with their ever-improving, run-away rivals. The Italian manufacturer may have had the edge in March, but that is certainly no longer the case.

Tyre degradation was a season-long thorn in Ferrari’s side. Whilst, at least at the beginning of the season, Ferrari had the pace over the Red Bull, their difficulties with tyre management have persisted. Unable to prolong their stints on any tyre compound, Ferrari essentially handed Red Bull a strategic carte blanche that they duly profited from over the course of the campaign.

Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari at the Japanese Grand Prix. Photo credit: Scuderia Ferrari Press Office

Squandered opportunities 

The degradation issue is a mitigating factor for Ferrari, but it doesn’t wholly explain their inability to profit from a position of strength. On numerous occasions, most glaringly in Leclerc’s home Grand Prix in Monaco and then at Silverstone, Ferrari simply made the wrong calls at the wrong time.

Perhaps the most costly error, both in terms of morale and in tangible points-terms, was the one made during the British Grand Prix. Ferrari’s call to keep race leader Leclerc out, whilst everyone else pitted, was a moment of folie from the Italian manufacturer. Not only did it cost him a likely win, but at the mercy of a whole grid of cars on fresher tyres; he even lost his place on the podium. The Monégasque had looked set for a 23-point swing against championship rival Verstappen; ultimately the gap was closed by just six points. Verstappen had been let off the hook.

Looking to make up for those team errors, Leclerc was guilty of pushing too hard at the French Grand Prix three weeks later, as he lost the rear end whilst leading the race. Arguably, however, at that point, the championship was already gone.

Leclerc’s evolving tones 

For the first time, resignation started to seep into Leclerc’s post-race discourse. Gone was the start of season optimism, as was the anger and disappointment that was evident during the beginning of the European season, despite Leclerc’s attempted concealment of such emotions.

By the time the Belgian Grand Prix came around in late August, Leclerc admitted that the gap between him and Verstappen was “really big”. The Monégasque driver added that Ferrari would “take it race by race”, a trite comment synonymous with “the title race is over”.

Leclerc’s discourse has evolved further in recent weeks, perhaps just to give some semblance of meaning to the remainder of the season, or perhaps in genuine hope of launching a better title challenge in 2023.

“I want to use these last races to improve our execution and I think that we made a step in the right direction today,” said Leclerc following his second-place finish in Singapore.

For Leclerc therefore, the remaining four races on this season’s F1 calendar will be pedagogical experiences for himself and his team. Whilst the prophecy wasn’t fulfilled this year, there is no reason why Leclerc and Ferrari can’t learn from this season’s mistakes and construct a more lasting title challenge in 2023.

 

Photo by Scuderia Ferrari Press Office

 

 

 

 

ISM to host second TedX Youth

by: Stephanie Horsman
11/10/2022

A TedX Youth event, organised by and for young people based on the successful Ted Talks model, will be held at the International School of Monaco, where kids can learn to confidently speak in public on the theme of ‘Dream it. Wish it. Do it.’

TEDx Youth is part of the global phenomenon of independently-organised TED talk-like conferences celebrating “ideas worth spreading”, but this one is exclusively for young people.

The International School of Monaco (ISM) will take part for the second time, after last year’s successful talk on ‘Mistakes that Changed the World’, which has been viewed over 11,000 times on YouTube.

This year’s event, the only TedX Youth one being held in the Principality, will take place on 15th October at 2pm in the ISM cafeteria in front of a live audience and on camera, and will feature nine students aged 10 to 17 years speaking on the theme, as well as a showing of selected TED videos and musical entertainment.

The benefits of the event are numerous, not only giving young people the opportunity to get used to public speaking, a valuable life skill, but also showing that Monaco’s educational landscape is producing innovators and educators for the future. Training of this sort helps in later life for university and job interviews, as well as in the professional realm where confidence in speech can make the difference in getting a project made or sealing the deal.

Registration and more information is available online at www.ismonaco.com

 

 

Photo source: ISM

 

 

 

 

Festival of the Stars returns to Monaco

by: Stephanie Horsman
11/10/2022

The chefs who will feature in this year’s Festival of the Stars have been announced. Britain’s Clare Smyth, Australia’s Shaun Hergatt, France’s Bruno Verjus and Italy’s Davide Oldani will join Monaco’s Michelin-starred chefs for a series of extraordinary dining experiences.  

One can barely throw a stone without hitting a Michelin-starred restaurant in Monaco these days. Diners have irresistible choices like never before, so it takes something truly special to create a serious buzz.

That buzz is here. After a successful launch in 2021, the Monte-Carlo Festival of the Stars (Festival des Etoilés Monte-Carlo) is returning to the Principality this autumn. Monte-Carlo SBM is once again giving foodies a chance to sample menus prepared by four Michelin-star chefs who have each invited a special guest to join them to create unforgettable culinary experiences.

It all kicks off on Friday 2nd September at Le Louis XV-Alain Ducasse at the Hôtel de Paris where the man himself, Alain Ducasse, will collaborate with his chef Emmanuel Pilon and triple-Michelin star awardee Clare Smyth for a special lunch and dinner service. British Smyth was trained under the legendary Ducasse early in her career, and has gone on to open her own establishment, Core by Clare Smyth, where she became the first woman in Britain to obtain a third Michelin-star for her work.

Monaco’s chefs: Alain Ducasse, Marcel Ravin, Dominique Lory and Yannick Alleno

Next up on 7th October will be the dynamic duo of Monte-Carlo Bay’s Marcel Ravin and modernist Australian chef Shaun Hergatt. Ravin’s Caribbean-infused cuisine has made him his name and earned him two Michelin stars, making him one of Monaco’s most popular chefs.

Hergatt, now a New York transplant, has won both Best Young Chef and Best New Restaurant awards from the New York Times, the Michelin Guide and Esquire Magazine. His creativity is the ideal foil to Ravin’s exotic fare.

Then on 15th October, Yannick Alleno and Bruno Verjus team up for a night to remember. It wasn’t long ago that three-starred Alleno opened his new-look restaurant, Pavyllon Monte-Carlo, at the Hotel Hermitage Monte-Carlo where he is making magic every day.

He is joined by businessman turned food writer turned Chef Bruno Verjus. Verjus was in his 50s when he opened his first eatery, Table, and is now one of France’s most respected chefs, winning his second Michelin star this year.

Finally, on 21st and 22nd October, Executive Chef of the Hôtel de Paris’ Le Grill, Dominique Lory, will be joined by Davide Oldani for two spectacular nights. Lory worked alongside Alain Ducasse for many years, earning him accolades and skills.

Italian chef Oldani is bringing his “cucina pop” to Monaco, showcasing his delicious flavours and uncomplicated recipes to the Principality’s fine diners, for a night sure to dazzle.

For more info on the events and to book reservations, visit the website.

 

SEE ALSO: 

FESTIVAL OF STARS FINALE: AN EXQUISITE CELEBRATION OF SBM FINE DINING

YANNICK ALLÉNO UNVEILS PAVYLLON MONTE-CARLO

 

 

This article was originally published on 15th August