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Gareth Wittstock: “There will be plenty of competitive spirit on the day”

by: Cassandra Tanti
03/06/2022

This Sunday, athletes and celebrities will race in teams across the port of Monaco on water bikes. Gareth Wittstock, Secretary General of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, tells us more about this exciting fundraising event, and how the public can get involved.

After weeks of training, 10 athletes and two celebrities will form teams of five on Sunday 5th June for the Foundation’s biggest sporting event of the year. The line-up in 2022 is unprecedented, with everyone from former F1 driver Mika Häkkinen, to footballer Cesc Fabregas, MMA fighter Sofiane Boukichou, and model Victoria Silvstedt battling it out over a 25 kilometres relay course in the port, before racing to the finish line at the Yacht Club of Monaco.

And this year the public are invited to come and cheer on their favourite team from the Solarium – Digue Rainier III at the YCM.

Monaco Life: Where did the idea for the Riviera Water Bike Challenge come from?

Gareth Wittstock: This was originally HSH Princess Charlene’s idea: to create a sports event that would raise funds for the Foundation and raise awareness of what the Foundation does internationally. We saw the water bikes as a new way to bring people together for a fun and competitive challenge around the Foundation’s values. To use water sports for this cause felt relevant, as drowning prevention and water safety are the main themes of the educational projects supported by the Foundation.

It has changed format a few times over the years, will this relay in the port of Monaco be the permanent format?

The concept was to gather sports celebrities in Monaco for an original challenge that combines solidarity and competitive spirit. Having a large number of participants is great, as it helps us scale our impact and communication. This was the initial format of the Riviera Water Bike Challenge: in 2017, the participants raced from Nice to Monaco and in 2018 they raced in relay in the Port of Monaco, with more or less the same course as this year. It was only in 2020 that, due to the pandemic, we could not bring together many competitors like we had done the previous years, and we decided to go through with an old idea: crossing the Mediterranean on water bikes, from Calvi to Monaco!

You have a diverse array of participants – mostly athletes, from bodybuilder Ulisses Jr, to 16-year-old BMX rider Kayden Keyser, and then model Victoria Silvstedt and singer Terence James. You must be thrilled with the line-up. Why do you think so many were keen to support the Princess Charlene Foundation?

The celebrities are a big part of the Water Bike Challenge’s conviviality, and we are truly thankful to them for answering favourably to participate this year. We know that it is a very busy season, but these celebrities are all convinced by what the Foundation does and by the projects supported by our fundraising. Also, I do believe that the water bikes offer the promise of a unique sports event in Monaco.

Would you agree that there’s going to be some competitive spirit on the day?

Yes, most definitely. We know that Sunday will be about friendship and sharing throughout the day, but once the athletes are on the water bikes they will forget about that and focus on one thing: winning. I know some of them who do not take kindly to losing!

Teams competing in the 2018 RWBC by Eric Mathon, Prince’s Palace

The forecast is for 26°C, so it will be a scorcher of a day. How do you think that will impact the relay?

The weather can be unpredictable, but we’ll be happy if it’s a sunny day. Of course, the heat makes it harder on the nerves and the relay strategy will need to be adapted accordingly by each team. The organising team, the volunteers as well as our partners will be there to make sure that all the participants always stay hydrated and energised.

You raced in the previous bike challenge from Corsica to Monaco. What are some of the challenges that the riders will be facing this year?

The Crossing: Calvi – Monaco Water Bike Challenge was an amazing journey, and we were joined by a wonderful team. My sister HSH Princess Charlene was really dedicated to this challenge, and we did it through gruelling conditions. The water bike feels different in open seas, and when we left Calvi there was a lot of swell and waves. The swell is what makes riding a water bike very difficult anywhere, as it is not as stable as you would like and it increases the resistance on the propeller. Hopefully, the sea will be calmer on Sunday in Monaco.

How much has the charity event raised to date and where have the funds been directed to?

Both the 2017 and 2018 editions of the Riviera Water Bike Challenge raised funds for the multi-purpose training centre in Loumbila, Burkina Faso. This project was co-funded with the Government of Monaco and the Red Cross, and the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation still finances aquatic rescue and swimming lessons in the pool that was built there. It was a massive success, as more than 1.2 million euros were raised in total. In 2020, we raised more than 600.000 euros for different drowning prevention projects through an online donation page, as our supporters were following the Crossing live.

Where will the money raised from this year go and why?

This year, we support a new project: ‘Swim for Safety’ in Sri Lanka, to teach swimming and water safety to disadvantaged children. Drowning is a major health issue in that country, and they will host the next World Conference on Drowning Prevention in 2023. We chose to highlight this project because there is a real need and an impact behind the help that we bring to these communities, and it symbolises the reach of the Foundation worldwide.

In addition to watching the relay, how can people get involved this year?

There are two ways that people can get involved this year, whether present physically or not. They can watch the race and have access to the ranking online through the tracking app that we put in place, as each water bike will be equipped with a GPS device (www.fpcm.mc/live). Additionally, leading up to the race, they can vote for their favourite team while supporting the Foundation and the ‘Swim for Safety’ project, by donating through our page (www.fpcm.mc/donate). The team with the most donations in the end will receive a special award!

 

SEE ALSO:

Photos: Princess’ Team Serenity wins The Crossing

 

 

Top photo of Gareth Wittstock in the 2020 The Crossing by Manu Vitali, Direction de la Communication

 

 

 

 

Environmental Photography Awards winners on show in open-air exhibit

by: Cassandra Tanti
02/06/2022

An elephant that lay dying amongst a pile of plastic waste in Sri Lanka is a heart-wrenching image that is hard to ignore on the Larvotto Promenade. It has also just been awarded top prize in the Environmental Photography Awards 2022, organised annually by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.

It may be only the second edition of the Environmental Photography Awards, but the impact of this awareness raising initiative by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation is incredibly forceful.

Displayed along the sun-drenched Promenade at Larvotto Beach are large prints of the most beautiful photographs of this year’s competition; the best of 8,000 images submitted by 2,000 photographers from across the globe.

The Foundation’s idea is to relay the connection between humans and nature, both positive and negative, and it was up to a jury of professional photographers to select the overall winner of the Environmental Photography Awards 2022, as well as five categories: Humanity versus Nature, Towards a Sustainable Future, Polar Wonders, Life Under the Surface and Beneath the Canopy.

On Wednesday 1st June it was revealed that Easa Lebbe Muhammed Jamsith had won the Environmental Photographer of the Year Award for his heartbreaking photograph Tears.

Tears by Easa Lebbe Muhammed Jamsith, photo by Monaco Life

“In Sri Lanka, there is a garbage dump near the forest in Oluvil,” explains Easa Lebbe Muhammed Jamsith. “It was a tragedy to learn on the morning of 5th January 2022 that an elephant was about to die in this landfill. I immediately alerted the wildlife authorities and rushed to the scene. As soon as I arrived, I saw the Himalayan creature cowering in pain, so much so that it could not even stand up and had lost its strength. I approached to take the picture and she looked at me with tears in her eyes. Wildlife officers accompanied by a doctor examined the elephant and reported that it was suffering from a sudden blockage of the oesophagus due to the daily ingestion of polyethylene waste (food packaging), a phenomenon that has already taken place six times in this landfill and which testifies to the relationship that men have with nature.”

Easa Lebbe Muhammed Jamsith has made it his mission to raise public awareness about the crisis facing the environment. Tears is part of that mission.

“Photography competitions are essential because they allow us to give a voice to creatures and habitats in danger,” says Daisy Gilardini, President of the 2022 jury. “Through their ability to reach a very large audience, they help raise awareness among as many people as possible. This year’s award-winning photograph vividly illustrates the devastating anthropogenic consequences of our consumer society. The stillness of the image, achieved by framing the dying elephant in the centre of the photo, is both poignant and gruesome. The duty of committed photographers is to stimulate audience’s emotions in order to move them from apathy to action. This year’s winning photo does just that.”

Alongside each photograph displayed on the Larvotto Promenade is a QR code that the public can scan to understand more about the story behind each image.

The open air exhibition at the Larvotto Promenade, photo by Cassandra Tanti, Monaco Life

In the Humanity versus Nature category, Tran Van Hong won for his photograph entitled Disaster. In this scene, the photographer captures the moment when two children are fleeing a forest devastated by fire and waste, a testament to the negative impact of man on nature, exposing the most vulnerable populations to the risks linked to pollution and climate change.

Far less traumatic is Simone Tramonte’s Net Zero Transition (II), which was awarded top prize in the Towards a Sustainable Future category. It shows the largest hydroponic greenhouse in southern Europe, located in Italy, which is based on the principles of a circular economy. The image is a spotlight on the innovations and solutions that are emerging in the face of an uncertain future and which gives us hope for a more conscious and sustainable life.

Indeed, with this latest edition, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation wanted to deliver a message of hope, “that together we can still act in a meaningful way, if we join forces to limit the effects of climate change and promote the resilience of ecosystems.”

In the Life Under the Surface category, Yung Sen Wu was awarded for his photograph Pacific Red Sockeye, his “remarkable execution” being highlighted by the jury. Glowworm by Haikun Liang won top honour in the Beneath the Canopy category. In this exceptional scene, glow worms dance in the middle of a forest in Guandong, China.

Kirstin Jones took top stop in the Polar Wonders category for The Great Trek, a photograph taken during an expedition to Antarctica. The photographer was able to capture three Gentoo penguins – a species considered to be “near threatened” – crossing the mountains to reach their colony.

Two hears, one love by Sultan Ahmed Niloy, photo by Monaco Life

Meanwhile, the general public were invited to vote online for their favourite and chose Mathieué Courdesses for his photograph Black and Wild, featuring a silverback gorilla encountered during an expedition to Rwanda.

“Exhibiting these large format prints is a precious opportunity to bring the environmental values ​​dear to the Sovereign and the Principality to the general public while inviting us to rethink our relationship with Nature,” says the Foundation.

The open-air exhibition will run until 29th June on the Promenade du Larvotto, in Monaco. The exhibition is also available to view online here.

 

Top photo by Easa-Lebbe-Muhammed-Jamsith

 

 

 

Photos: Star-studded amfAR gala raises €18 million

by: Katie Lister
02/06/2022

This year’s amfAR Gala Cannes was back in full force after a rollercoaster two years of pandemic uncertainty and travel restrictions, raising €18 million for amfAR’s HIV/AIDS programs and honouring Robert DeNiro in the process.

Celebrities, philanthropists and the “who’s who” of the global jetset came out to support amfAR’s 28th edition of the gala at Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, alongside guest of honour Robert DeNiro, on Thursday 26th May.

Ricky Martin opened the evening with a firecracker of a hip-shaking performance, Charli XCX kept the energy high between auction lots with three of her latest hits, Christina Aguilera gave a second wind of energy to close the night, warming up the guests for the after-party that followed.

Legendary auctioneer Simon de Pury led the bidding wars between guests as they battled it out for high-priced items and priceless experiences. AmfAR’s Global Fundraising Chairman Milutin Gatsby supported de Pury’s auction efforts.

CAP D’ANTIBES, FRANCE – MAY 26: (L to R) Alejandro Nones, Eva Longoria, Edgar Ramirez and Naomi Campbell attend the amfAR Cannes Gala 2022 at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc on May 26, 2022 in Cap d’Antibes, France. (Photo by Gisela Schober/Getty Images for amfAR)

Guests who came out to support amfAR  included Robert DeNiro, who helped raise €700,000 in the auction with a donation of his father’s artwork and a private lunch with the winning bidder, as well as Baz Luhrmann, Carine Roitfeld, Caroline Scheufele, Cynthia Erivo, Eva Longoria, Ever Anderson, Julian Lennon, Kate Hudson, LaKeith Stanfield, Laura Linney, Lauren Remington Platt, Michelle Rodriguez, Michelle Williams, Michelle Yeoh, Milla Jovovich, Mohammed Al-Turki, Rita Wilson, Sam Bankman-Fried, Tom Hanks, Vanessa Hudgens, amfAR Board Co-Chairs T. Ryan Greenawalt and Kevin McClatchy, amfAR Trustee Vin Roberti and amfAR Global Fundraising Chair Milutin Gatsby.

CAP D’ANTIBES, FRANCE – MAY 26: Christina Aguilera performs on stage during the amfAR Cannes Gala 2022 at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc on May 26, 2022 in Cap d’Antibes, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/amfAR/Getty Images for amfAR)

Also in attendance were Casey Affleck, Tommy Hilfiger, Edgar Ramirez, Alex Pettyfer, Alton Mason, Bianca Brandolini, Boris Kodjoe, Candice Swanepoel, Cara Delevingne, Charlotte McKinney, Claire Foy, Ciara, Cindy Bruna, Charli D’Amelio, Charlbi Dean, Coco Rocha, Dee Hilfiger, Dylan Brosnan, Diplo, Elizabeth Sulcer, Elsa Hosk, Georgia Fowler, Heart Evangelista, Indya Moore, Isabeli Fontana, Jessica Wang, Jourdan Dunn, Julian Lennon, Kat Graham, Kevin Dillon, Kristina Romanova, Lena Situations, Leonie Hanne, Liza Koshy, Lorena Rae, Luna Bijl, Marianne Fonseca, Matteo Bocelli, Milutin Gatsby, Naomi Campbell, Natasha Bassett, Nicole Parker, Nina Dobrev, Olivia Culpo, Paul Anderson, Pom Klementieff, Sabrina Carpenter, Sabrina Elba, Shalom Harlow, Shaun White, Stella Maxwell, Victoria Barbara, Winnie Harlow, and Zoey Deutch.

Carine Roitfeld curated and produced the evening’s fashion show, presented by Co-Chairs Milla Jovovich and Eva Longoria, which later sold in its entirety for €800,000.  Participating designers included Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Gucci, Chanel, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Fendi, Tom Ford, Jacquemus, Valentino, Giambattista Valli, Armani, Alaïa, Versace, Monot, Nensi Dojaka, Dior and more.

CAP D’ANTIBES, FRANCE – MAY 26: Models walk the runway in the fashion show during the amfAR Cannes Gala 2022 at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc on May 26, 2022 in Cap d’Antibes, France. (Photo by Gisela Schober/Getty Images for amfAR)

The models in the fashion show included Jodeci, Xu Meen, Jordan Barrett, Joshua Seth, Paul Hameline, Braien Vaiksaar, Sara Sampaio, Blesnya Minher, Faretta, Madison Headrick, Valery Kaufman, Noemie Lenoire, Shayna McNeill, Ines Rau, Candice Huffine, Ashley Graham, Cindy Bruna, Mao Xiaoxing, Evelina Lauren, Claire Delozier, Hiandra Martinez, Luna Bijl, Ajok Madel, Denise Ascuet, Daphne Groeneveld, Isabeli Fontana, Stella Duval, Issa Lish, Akon Changkou, Bente Oort, Lineisy Montero, Shanina Shaik and more.

Presenting Sponsors were FTX as the official cryptocurrency partner of the gala, and Red Sea International Film Festival. Signature sponsors included Chopard, which donated a unique pair of diamond earrings from the red-carpet collection to the live auction, and Jelenew, which worked with fashion designer Stéphane Rolland to create a custom dress that was included in the fashion show.

Charlotte Tilbury served as the official beauty partner, providing skincare and make-up products and professional make-up artists for the fashion show.  Revolve, in association with The h.wood Group, was amfAR’s after party host. The amfAR Gala Cannes was produced by Andy Boose/AAB Productions.

Over the years, amfAR Gala Cannes has raised a cumulative total of more than €245 million for amfAR’s lifesaving AIDS research, HIV prevention, treatment education, and advocacy.

Click on the gallery below to see more pictures from the amfAR Gala Cannes (Photos by Gisela Schober/Getty Images for amfAR)…

Top photo: Simon de Pury and Robert De Niro speak on stage during the amfAR Cannes Gala 2022 at Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc on May 26, 2022 in Cap d’Antibes, France. (Photo by John Phillips/amfAR/Getty Images for amfAR)

 

Katie Lister is a global luxury brand consultant and marketing executive, and a contributing writer for Monaco Life.

 

 

Why a cloud of uncertainty lingers over the Monaco Grand Prix

by: Luke Entwistle
01/06/2022

This year’s Monaco Grand Prix drew record attendance and was one of the most exciting races around the streets of the Principality in recent years, but the “mythic” race faces an uncertain future.

Speaking to local media including Monaco Life before the Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc said, “For me, it’s impossible that there isn’t a Monaco Grand Prix. There are lots of tracks that are mythic in Formula 1 and Monaco is certainly one of them. For F1 it is just as important to keep Monaco as it is for Monaco to keep F1.”

Prior to the race, the Automobile Club of Monaco (ACM) also sought to dampen talk of the unthinkable – of Monaco losing its spot on the Formula 1 calendar from 2023.

The organisation’s president, Michel Boeri, sought to assuage fears that the Monaco Grand Prix would be axed from the calendar. “I want to mention what we may have read in the press… it was implied that the prices demanded by Liberty Media were too excessive for Monaco and that the Grand Prix would be no more,” he began.

“It is false… I can guarantee you that the Grand Prix will keep taking place beyond 2022. I don’t know if it will be a three or a five-year contract, but that’s just a detail.”

Yet rumours and doubts persist. Lelcerc speaks of an interdependence between Monaco and Formula 1, but new owners Liberty Media, who perhaps aren’t the safest custodians of tradition, seem prepared to cut ties with the iconic race.

No contract for 2023 and beyond has yet been signed, and according to the BBC’s Andrew Benson, it isn’t a matter of “detail”, as Boeri has previously stated.

The sticking points over a renewal aren’t innumerate, but nor are they so insignificant as to simply brush aside. The opaque, stormy clouds that clung to the cliffs of Monaco during Sunday’s race are a perfect metaphor for the uncertain future of the iconic race.

Benson says that Liberty Media are “growing tired of a number of aspects of the race”. Although money is an issue, as is often the case with staging a Grand Prix, this is not the crux of the crisis. Principal amongst the issues is the matter of coverage. Monaco is the only race on the calendar that is broadcast by its local television company rather than by F1’s own TV station, and for a while now, F1 believes that this has led to “a quality gap” which they are “no longer willing to accept”.

Photo credit Claudia G. Albuquerque

There is also the issue of track advertising. In Monaco, F1’s corporate sponsors are supplemented by locally made deals, leading to some “glaring exceptions”.

The track is also an issue, but it needn’t be so. F1 believes that some simple changes could be made, for example at the chicane at the harbour-front chicane, or by simply widening a few corners. Benson claims that the ACM is “reluctant to entertain the idea”.

Overall, this paints a picture of Monaco being unwilling to accept outside ideas, and with the expansion of Formula 1 globally, especially in the USA where they just staged the Miami Grand Prix and will stage the Las Vegas Grand Prix from 2023, the owners are “emboldened”. Liberty Media doesn’t feel compelled to accept deals that quite simply don’t suit them, their objectives, or their vision for the sport.

That boldness could see other traditional races losing their spot on the calendar. The largest worry amongst F1 fans is the disappearance of the Belgium GP at Spa-Francorchamps, which has been rumoured to be dropped from 2023, whilst the French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard also looks set to be dropped from the calendar.

There is a growing feeling that in order to survive, Monaco must adapt. As Monaco resident and Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff said after Saturday’s qualifying session, “Monaco has to embrace the new realities of what the sport stands for today.”

One can only hope that that message hits home in time in order to save the Grand Prix that means so much to Monaco, to Formula 1 and to fans globally.

 

See more photos from the Grand Prix Below, courtesy Claudia G. Albuquerque…

 

Top photo credit: Scuderia Ferrari Press Office

 

 

 

City of Cannes to auction local sites using NFTs

by: Stephanie Horsman
01/06/2022

Auction house Artcurial is organising a first: the auctioning of 10 buildings and places in Cannes in the form of non-fungible tokens.

For the first time, ever, purchasers of immaterial goods using non-fungible tokens, more commonly referred to as NFTs, made from existing places in the real world will be able to make commercial or cultural use of them, after integrating them into a metaverse.

With the I Met My NFT project, the City of Cannes, the Pertimm Company and Artcurial, it will be possible, for example, to build buildings on the Croisette in the metaverse, to organise events at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, or to mount an exhibition at the La Malmaison Art Centre.

This event has been made possible due to a recent change in laws in France authorising auction houses to sell “intangible assets”.

NFTs are individual tokens with valuable information stored in them. Because they hold a value primarily set by the market and demand, they can be bought and sold just like other physical types of art. NFTs’ unique data makes it easy to verify and validate their ownership and the transfer of tokens between owners.

This allows a buyer to purchase a piece of digital artwork, or in this case, a site, on the internet at a reasonable price and get a unique digital token which proves the purchaser’s authority over the item bought.

The auction will take place on Tuesday 21st June at the Port Canto Harbour Masters Office on the Croisette, which coincidentally offers a panoramic view of the 10 sites going under the gavel.

“The sale of the collection of 10 NFTs from Cannes is an event with which we have decided to associate ourselves for its innovative aspect,” explained Arnaud Oliveux, Auctioneer and Associate Director, at Artcurial. “More than a simple sale of NFT, it is a future experience to live in the metaverse that we will offer to buyers and investors, a way to project themselves into another dimension but on the very real bases of 10 iconic places in the city of Cannes.”

Part of the total collected will be donated to the Cannes Endowment Fund and will be used to finance projects in favour of environmental protection.

 

 

 

Colombian artist creates unique mural during Monaco GP

by: Luke Entwistle
01/06/2022

On Saturday, whilst qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix was taking place just a kilometre down the road, Colombian muralist Dast was creating a spectacular mural at the iconic Grimaldi Forum through a partnership with McLaren.

The mural was created through Vuse and McLaren F1’s partnership Driven by Change, which offers underrepresented artists around the world the opportunity to showcase their talent at elite motorsport events.

The Driven by Change campaign made its debut last year at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where Rabab Tantawy, a female artist from the Middle East, was given the chance to create a special livery. This year, the project saw Jonathan Walker work with the McLaren F1 team in Miami, and Dast’s mural is the second piece to be created this year.

The Colombian artist, originally from Bogota, was chosen for the event due to his “passion for art” and the contrast between the glitz and glamour of Monaco, and the diverse natural geography of Colombia which allowed Dast to step out of his comfort zone. The result is a mural, which “explores the relationship between peoples, places and spaces.”

Inspired by the sounds of F1 cars, which reverberated around the streets of the Principality, Dast worked for 15 hours to create the final piece. He applied his signature geometric style to capture the aerodynamic design of McLaren F1 Team’s car, as well as its vibrant papaya and blue colour theme. a

“Having my work showcased at one of the most exclusive grand prix races and painting the mural in real-time on a canvas such as Monaco’s beachfront makes the opportunity even more special,” said Dast.

The mural has been gifted to McLaren and will continue to be showcased as part of the Driven by Change initiative. The project continues to use the visibility that motorsport brings to give otherwise undiscovered artists a chance to shine on a global stage.

 

Photo source: Driven by Change