Saturday night’s fixture against Lyon will not only be a meeting of two Ligue 1 giants, but recognition of the incredible work done by the Monaco Scientific Centre (CSM) and the Flavien Foundation.
To commemorate World Cancer Day, which takes place on 4th February, AS Monaco will highlight the CSM and the Flavien Foundation’s commitment in the fight against paediatric cancer on the 5th through auctions, jersey presentations and exclusive experiences.
Pre-match, AS Monaco Vice-President Oleg Petrov will offer a jersey to the organisations as a symbol of the club’s support.
The club will also stage a ‘My Wish’ experience, whereby two children, supported by the Flavien Foundation, will have the unique experience of watching the match from backstage. Their families, as well as other members of the Flavien Foundation, will be invited to attend the game.
Completing the club’s tribute is an auction of the jerseys worn by Monaco players on the night. The auction will begin on Sunday 6th on the MatchWornShirt platform and continue until 13th February, with the profits being shared 50/50 between the two organisations.
The CSM and the Flavien Foundation have been collaborating since 2015 in order to improve knowledge and develop potential therapies for paediatric cancer.
The announcement comes just days after the Principality hosted the Biennial Cancer Conference at the Grimaldi Forum, which was organised by the CSM and took place under the patronage of Prince Albert II.
AS Monaco’s fixture against Lorient next weekend will also commemorate the work done by local associations who work with children with cancer. World Child Cancer Day is on 15th February, with Monaco playing just two days before. The club will therefore invite fans and volunteers from local associations to enjoy the match at the Stade Louis II.
Monaco businesses strengthen ties with Dubai through MEB
Local businessman Chris Clavel was among a 30-strong delegation to Dubai for a trade mission to strengthen ties between the regions, that also included the signing of a MOU with world trade hub DMCC.
It has been a good start to the year for the Monaco Economic Board (MEB), which just returned from a multi-day trade mission to Dubai that ran from 25th to 29th January.
Dubai has long been associated with growth, ambition and innovation, and is widely known to be the Middle East’s premiere trading hub. The MEB has leapt at the opportunity to explore this vast and fast-growing market via this recent trip.
Previous visits to the city, which included a Monaco National Day trip on 13th November 2021 and meetings at the Dubai World Expo, were followed up by the 30-plus member delegation that included figures from the worlds of technology, real estate, finance and industry.
A highlight was the formalisation of ties between the MEB and the Dubai Multi-Commodities Centre (DMCC) through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, designed to create more business opportunities between the two regions.
Executive Chairman and CEO of DMCC Ahmed Bin Sulayem and MEB Chairman Michel Dotta sign a Memorandum of Understanding in Dubai, source MEB
The DMCC was established in 2002 to promote commerce in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and is now one of the biggest free trade zones in the world. It boasts a membership exceeding 20,000 companies and a business community of 100,000 people.
“The UAE offers great opportunities to Monaco’s business community, with DMCC being a key strategic partner for their international expansion,” said MEB Chairman Michel Dotta in a speech during the meeting. “The agreement will consolidate our efforts and will stimulate growth, providing our respective business communities with access to new and fast-growing markets. We look forward to working closely with DMCC to facilitate trade, increase economic activity, and support the businesses of Monaco in navigating Dubai’s vibrant business environment.”
It was Chris Clavel’s (left) 16th trade mission with the MEB
One of the Monegasque entrepreneurs to benefit from this relationship is Chris Clavel, Director of the digital technology company Baccana Group.
“Between the B2B meetings organised by the MEB at the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) and the networking sessions at the Monaco Pavilion at the Dubai Expo, I managed to make 20 valuable contacts,” Chris Clavel told Monaco Life. “One is gently leading to a contract soon with a Dubai-based tourism marketplace needing our online marketing and SEO expertise for the European market. I have some follow up to do with the chambers of commerce of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Sultanate of Oman and Kuwait. I am also in discussion with the Tourism and Investment board of the Emirate of Sharjah, as well as with the Abu Dhabi University of Artificial Intelligence.
“All of this within three days. So, one can say that the MEB’s trade mission in Dubai was a success for my part, but I know that it was also the case for many other members of the delegation.”
Clavel says he will join the MEB delegation when they return to Dubai from 5th to 10th March for the Dubai International Boat Show.
Other MEB missions are being planned to St. Petersburg in June and Madrid in October.
By Cassandra Tanti and Stephanie Horsman. Photos by Chris Clavel unless otherwise specified
Monaco strengthens legislative arsenal against financial crime
The National Council has passed two bills aimed at combating financial crime in Monaco. Among them, a widening of the scope of justice to confiscate capital and sanction fraudulent virtual currency transfers.
The National Council voted unanimously on Monday 31st January on two bills submitted by the Government relating to the prevention and the fight against financial crime.
“These legislative developments testify to the Principality’s desire to continue to adapt its legislation to the best standards and international commitments in the fight against money laundering, terrorist financing and corruption,” said the government in a statement on Wednesday. “Under the impetus of the Sovereign Prince, the objective pursued by the Principality is, in particular, to maintain the Monegasque banking and financial centre at a high level of standards.”
The government says the bills were produced after discussions between itself and professionals, on the one hand, and between the government and the National Council, on the other.
“In line with the objective pursued by the Principality to strengthen its system in a complex and constantly changing field, exchanges, both at the institutional level and between the public and private sectors, are continuing, in particular within the framework of meetings of the Committee for the Coordination and Monitoring of the National Strategy to Combat Money Laundering, the Financing of Terrorism, the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Corruption, which will meet for the first time on 3rd February under the chairmanship of the Minister of State, Pierre Dartout,” said the government.
The new mechanism voted Monday evening reinforces the capacity of justice to confiscate capital that it finds to be fraudulent in origin. It also widens the scope of application of offences relating to payment instruments, insofar as it can sanction a fraudulent transfer, not only money or monetary in value, but also virtual currency.
The legislation also specifies some of the obligations that are incumbent on professionals subject to the fight against money laundering, particularly in the presence of atypical transactions.
Meanwhile, “the list of subject professionals has been supplemented following the conclusions of the National Risk Assessment (ENR2), with the aim of finding the right balance between the efficient apprehension of risks and the preservation of the attractiveness of Monaco,” added the government.
Before heading out to Beijing as the Monegasque flag-bearer at the Winter Olympics, skier Arnaud Alessandria spoke to Monaco Life about the highs and lows of his journey.
On 4th February in the Beijing National Stadium, Arnaud Alessandria will add his name to the miniscule list of athletes who have had the honour of bearing the Monaco flag in an Olympic ceremony.
The unveiling of Monaco’s latest flag-bearer in the ballroom of the Monaco Yacht Club on 18th January carried a greater symbolism than the regular pre-Olympic formality, the Monegasque flag representing a baton as it was passed from one flag-bearer to the next. Prince Albert II, who has carried the flag three times for Monaco at the Winter Olympics, now bestows the responsibility upon Alessandria, who will fulfil the role for the first time in two weeks.
As Alessandria prepares to wave the Monaco flag aloft in the National Stadium in Beijing, he doesn’t feel the burden of expectation that the role implies. “To be the flag-bearer is an honour,” he tells Monaco Life. “I think it can only be a bonus, and it will further boost me for these Olympics.”
His journey to becoming flag-bearer of his nation has been far from linear and riddled with setbacks. Only a few weeks ago, the skier was involved in a crash in Tarvisio, but his reaction to this is indicative of a determination that has brought him to this point. “I’m doing well. Just a little sprain, so I passed through the hands of the physical therapists, who have put everything back in place and today it’s all good,” he says light-heartedly.
But tantamount to his physical capacity to bounce back is this unwavering self-confidence, leaving him undeterred even in the face of this pre-competition crash. “We’re in a sport where we fall often, so that doesn’t dent my confidence. Just until the departure (to China), I need to get back on the skis to get back into the swing of things.”
Photo of Arnaud Alessandria by Jo Jo Harper
Supplementing the confidence he has in his own ability is the experience of having already competed at the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014. A 39th place finish in the Men’s Downhill and a 36th in the Men’s Super Combined Downhill on the Russian slopes provides a basis upon which to build. “I can take my experience, and arrive there knowing what to expect, and be more of a participant in the event rather than being overwhelmed by the event,” adds the 28-year-old Monegasque.
Alessandria had initially been hoping to put this experience to use in Pyeongchang in 2018. Not only would he not improve on his 2014 result, he wouldn’t even board the plane to South Korea. With only a matter of days before his expected departure, a cruel turn of events deprived Alessandria of his place in the Olympic team.
With the Monegasque Olympic quota reduced, it was Alessandria who missed out, the timing of the decision, he says, was particularly devastating: “It was a very last-minute decision, I found out about a week before the departure. It was very hard, very hard, because you prepare a lot for an event like that.”
His omission from the team was undoubtedly a sucker-punch. His reaction was, however, indicative of who he is, both as a person and as an athlete. “It has allowed me to bounce back, to work and train harder, to progress so that it doesn’t happen again.” His work since has not only allowed him to return to the fold, but he will do so in style when he leads out his compatriots in the opening ceremony on Friday 4th February.
Like many, preparation for the competition has been marked by the disruption that the global pandemic precipitated. “It has disturbed our preparation. We are used to going to Argentina or Chile in September, so that wasn’t possible, and it’s been impossible for two years now,” he reveals. “So, it’s a bit complicated. Even in Europe with the lockdowns and the restrictions, we’ve had less opportunity to train.”
As well as the epidemiological situation, the build-up to the event has been dominated by a hostile political backdrop. The noise surrounding China’s human rights abuses has only intensified as the games have drawn closer. Questions have been asked about the country’s treatment of the marginalised Uyghur community, whilst the disappearance of Chinese professional tennis player Peng Shuai in December provided an untimely reminder of China’s record, with the start of the games in sight.
Alessandria though is fully concentrated on the task in hand. “I think we’re there to provide sport, to provide a spectacle, and everything that is political isn’t really up to us to judge.” The Monegasque’s objectives are clear, telling Monaco Life, “I want to improve (on my 2014 performance). My ambition is to be in the top 30 in the downhill, so I will just give it my all.”
Alessandria’s flight out to China on 28th January has brought an end to the eight-year wait to compete in his second Winter Olympics. The disappointment of 2018 hasn’t been consigned to the history books. Instead, it is a source of inspiration for Alessandria, who will call on a wealth of experience, both positive and negative, in the search for Olympic glory on the slopes of the Chinese capital this month.
A new polar symposium will be held in February bringing together top scientists to talk about the effects of climate change on the polar regions and how those effects are changing the Earth as a whole.
The polar regions of the planet have been areas of concern for climatologists for years. In October 2021, scientists estimated that nearly 75% of Arctic sea ice has disappeared, while last summer, the Arctic ice area was the smallest it has been for a millennia. The Antarctic has a rosier picture, showing a stabilisation of ice thickness and area, but temperature rises there are making for an uncertain future.
In response to this situation, which of late has been overshadowed by the global pandemic, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, along with the Scientific Committee on Arctic Research (SCAR) and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), have joined with the Oceanographic Institute, the Prince Albert I Foundation and the UN Decade for Ocean Science for Sustainable Development to create The Cold is Getting Hot!, a hybrid in-person and online symposium being held 24th and 25th February.
Leading scientific figures will discuss how fast and in what ways the polar region’s changes are affecting the Earth’s climate and living systems, as well as how it is a concern for the population-at-large.
The two-day event will feature talks from experts and key partners about the management, policies and actions being taken at international and regional levels and will spotlight how science’s role remains of the utmost importance.
In all, there will be four sessions. The scheduled talks are ‘Understanding changes in the poles’, ‘Contribution of polar changes to the global climate’, ‘Effects of polar changes upon global human societies and economies’, and ‘Management responses in the face of uncertainties’.
The Cold is Getting Hot! will take place at the Oceanographic Museum on 24th February from 9am to 16:30pm, and on the 25th from 8:30am to 4pm. A conference website will soon be launched for more information. Registration for the virtual event is not required, but for in-person spaces, email acarter@fpa2.org to book.
After being forced to cancel last year due to the pandemic, breast cancer awareness organisation Pink Ribbon Monaco is hosting its 10th Pink Ribbon Walk in February, encouraging participants to turn out in their pinkest kit to exercise for charity.
France had 58,083 new cases of breast cancer in 2020, making it the second most common cancer in the country behind prostate cancer. Worldwide, one in eight women will be affected by the disease in their lifetime.
Studies have shown that physical activity can reduce the risk of recurring cancer by as much as 25% and may improve survival rates by 30%.
Since 2011, Pink Ribbon Monaco, founded by Natasha Frost-Savio, has been putting the word out to raise awareness on early screening methods and prevention through a variety of campaigns and events. Their flagship event is the Pink Ribbon Walk.
The 5km fun walk takes participants from Port Hercule, past many iconic Monegasque buildings such as the Prince’s Palace, the Cathedral, the Oceanographic Museum, and the terraces of the Monte-Carlo Casino.
Walkers will be asked to wear bibs with messages of support or tribute to those who have or had the disease rather than numbers. The event is not designed to be a competition, but more of a celebration, with the goal being to have as many active participants as possible showing their backing whilst getting out for a bit of exercise with friends.
The walk is also a show of solidarity for the women affected by breast cancer. Men are encouraged to join in, as well. As husbands, fathers, sons, and brothers of the woman battling the disease, they are affected too.
This year’s co-partners in the event are SBM Offshore and the Monegasque Athletics Federation (FMA).
The Pink Ribbon Walk starts at 10am on Sunday 13th February at Port Hercule. Pre-registration is open on 12th February from 10am to 5pm, and again before 10am on the 13th on the esplanade of the port. Alternatively, walkers can go online and register. The cost is €30 with all proceeds going to support breast cancer awareness.
Children are welcome and are free to enter under the age of 13. Those in wheelchairs or with pushchairs may need assistance in certain areas. Raffle tickets will be on sale for €10 for a book of five, and a t-shirt is being offered to all walkers courtesy of SBM Offshore.
For more information, or to register for the walk online, visit the website at www.pinkribbon.mc
