Greece and America united for an evening of celebration at the Yacht Club of Monaco on Sunday, as the associations representing each country marked important anniversaries in the Principality.
In the presence of HSH Prince Albert II, as well as Ambassador of France to Monaco Laurent Stefanini, Minister of State Pierre Dartout and Petros Machas – Honorary Consul General of Greece in the Principality of Monaco, a joint Anniversary Gala took place on Sunday 8th May, in the prestigious setting of the Yacht Club de Monaco. It was hosted by the organising committees of both the Hellenic Community of Monaco as well as of the American Club of the Riviera, to celebrate their 70th and 60th respective anniversaries of their presence in the Principality.
Members and friends were invited to join in the jovial celebration, which featured a Greek folk dance group performing in traditional costume that had flown in exclusively for the gala.
From left to right: H.E. Ambassador of France to Monaco Laurent Stefanini, Minister of State Pierre Dartout, Sophia Vaharis Tsouvelekakis – President of the Hellenic Community of Monaco, H.S.H. Prince Albert II, Timothy Molyneux -President of the American Club of the Riviera, Petros Machas- Honorary Consul General of Greece in the Principality of Monaco.
In her speech, President of the Hellenic Community of Monaco Sophia Vaharis Tsouvelekakis shared the mission of the Hellenic Community as well as its role and activities in Monaco. Meanwhile, President of the American Club of the Riviera Timothy Molyneux talked about the importance of clubs and associations working together for the common good of the community.
Center: Sophia Vaharis Tsouvelekakis-President of the Hellenic Community of Monaco, H.S.H. Prince Albert II, Timothy Molyneux- President of the American Club of the Riviera, Elena Tsaldari- President of the Lyceum Club of Greek Women, with Folk Dancers from Greece
The Anniversary Gala celebration also included a fund-raising auction and, with the help of Safia el Malqui, the amount raised was €8,150, which is donated to the Cap-Optimist project to support the Monaco – Athens Crossing on Paddle boards, for the benefit of the Princess Charlene Foundation.
H.S.H. Prince Albert II surrounded by the ‘Greek American Odyssey’ team: Sophia Vaharis Tsouvelekakis- President of the Hellenic Community of Monaco and Timothy Molyneux- President of the American Club of the Riviera, together with Greek, Cypriot, American, Canadian members of both clubs.
After a difficult start against Nanterre, AS Monaco Basketball went on to dominate their opponents (84-66) at the Salle Gaston Médécin on Tuesday, as Sasa Obradovic’s men maintained their positive “rhythm”.
The win does little to the table. The Roca Team remain second behind Lyon-Villeurbanne and just ahead of Boulogne-Levallois. Only two matches of the regular season remain and Monaco are guaranteed a third-place or better finish.
More important than wins on the board at this moment in time is momentum and rhythm, as Obradovic stated post-match. “We still have two matches to keep the rhythm and keep on this positive spiral ahead of the play-offs.”
Key to keeping that run going, Obradovic admitted, is a “good attitude,” which can be difficult to maintain with so little on the line.
Tuesday’s opponents Nanterre were no push-overs. The visitors began efficiently to take a first-quarter lead, but a dominant second from the Roca Team took the game from their grasp. Limiting Nanterre to only eight points, the Roca Team also found their range in attack and an unreplied eight-point streak before the half-time buzzer meant Monaco went back to the dressing room with the game firmly in their control (41-33).
Monaco were never troubled in the second-half. Strong performances across the board kept the scoreboard constantly ticking for the Principality side as they eased their way to an 11th win in their last 12 Betclic Elite fixtures.
Post-match, Obradovic reflected on the side’s chances of topping the Betclic table, saying, “Regarding the chase for first place, we must firstly think about ourselves. It is difficult to imagine that ASVEL (Lyon-Villeurbanne) will lose first place, but it’s also difficult to imagine that we’ll lose second place. We must continue to fight.”
Monaco next travel to face Limoges on Saturday in the penultimate game of the regular season.
Photo source: AS Monaco Basketball
Human rights activist gifts Prince with autobiography
Nobel Peace Prize winner and human rights activist Nadia Murad has been welcomed at the Palace by Prince Albert, where she shared her harrowing story of survival and mission to protect other women from rape as a weapon of war.
Prince Albert II officially received Nadia Murad on Monday 9th May at the Palace.
The 29-year-old is a Yazidian human rights activist from Sinjar, Kurdistan, in northern Iraq. In 2014, she was captured by Islamic State fighters and detained as a sex slave for months before she managed to flee. Since then, she tells her story tirelessly around the world to help Yazidis survivors, defend the rights of marginalised ethnic and religious minorities, and fight against the use of rape as a weapon of war.
She was a co-receiver of the Nobel Peace Prize 2018 for her efforts.
During the meeting in Monaco, Prince Albert spoke of his support for survivors of sexual violence related to conflict around the world as well as the possibility for Monaco to participate in education and health projects, across different entities.
Nadia Murad concluded her emotional story by gifting Prince Albert II her autobiography, ‘To be the last’, which she wrote to help the Yezidi people and all other female victims of violence.
Photo by Eric Mathon, Prince’s Palace
“I don’t think anyone could have imagined where we ended up”
Review: AS Monaco Basketball’s Euroleague season ended at the hands of the mighty Olympiacos on Wednesday but, as Oleksiy Yefimov told Monaco Life, the team’s mere presence in the playoffs this year far outweighs any disappointment.
The Roca Team, in its current form, are an unrecognisable outfit to the side that set out on a journey which began before the start of this Euroleague season. Very few of the members that sealed the Euro Cup success last season, which ensured their Euroleague participation last April, remained. Rob Gray and Rudy Demahis-Ballou were the only ones to stay at a side that required a mass overhaul if it was to compete.
13 first-teamers came in before the start of their debut Euroleague campaign. From big names such as Mike James, Donatas Motiejunas and WIll Thomas, to newcomers such as Alpha Diallo and Donta Hall, they all had to find their place in this hurriedly assembled side.
Under coach Zvezdan Mitrovic, things got off to a strong start, as the Roca Team won both of their opening fixtures. The pieces of the puzzle seemed to fit. But that was as good as it got for Monaco in the early part of the season.
Mid-table mediocrity
Facing some of the stalwarts of the European game, Monaco came unstuck. Logical defeats to Real Madrid, Barcelona and Baskonia arrested any momentum that had been generated. The final defeat to Baskonia was indicative of a side on the slide as Monaco conjured up a mere 66 points.
Monaco went on to win three of their next four before a dismal run of results in late November/ early December turned their season on its head. Five straight defeats for Mitrovic’s men prompted the club to make a decision that thereafter made the Roca Team Sasa Obradovic’s men.
The turning point
In what was described by Oleksiy Yefimov in an exclusive interview with Monaco Life as “an extremely risky decision,” the Serbian returned to Le Rocher for a second spell, charged with leading a side that languished in 14th, into the play-off places.
The turnaround wasn’t immediate. Following an overtime win against Zalgiris, the Roca Team lost the next two; the new coach bemoaned the lack of time on the training court as he struggled to instil new ideas into his freshly acquired squad.
Ask and ye shall receive. The latest Coronavirus wave swept across Europe, forcing a swathe of cancellations, whilst Monaco got off rather unscathed. Matches against Lyon-Villeurbanne and Unics Kazan were ultimately postponed, granting Obradovic’s wish of some much-needed time with his team over the festive period.
That time wasn’t wasted. The Roca Team went on to win six of their next seven in the European division, their only defeat coming in overtime against Real Madrid. But a surprise, on-the-buzzer defeat at home against Zalgiris (82-83) once again halted Monaco’s charge towards the play-off places.
Obradovic lamented his side’s performance in that particular fixture. “When you just use your talent and do not play team basketball, you give a chance to someone else who is doing this.”
Yakuba Outtara, however, struck a more optimistic tone. “It’s not over, we can win wherever we go away from home.”
War breaks out
Just two days before Russia invaded Ukraine, Monaco welcomed, and defeated, Russian side Unics Kazan at the Salle Gaston Medecin. The “stop the war” sign pre-tip-off has become a fixture of Euroleague matches in the Principality since late February, but the war had a very tangible impact on the Roca Team on the court.
The Russian teams were kicked out of the competition, and all games against Russian opposition rendered null and void. The decision both positively and negatively affected Obradovic’s men. On the one hand, Unics Kazan, a team that Monaco had to outperform if they were to qualify for next season’s Euroleague, were now out of the picture; qualification for the play-offs was all that was necessary to compete in the 2022/23 season. On the other hand, Monaco’s four wins out of five against Russian sides were wiped off, leaving a mountain still to climb in order to reach the much-coveted top-eight.
But climb it they did. Seven wins in their final eight Euroleague games secured them seventh spot. The side could rest easy in their final game of the regular season against Alba Berlin at the Salle Gaston Medecin, in what was essentially a victory lap, a joyous celebration for a team that had scaled unfathomable heights.
AS Monaco Basketball were defeated by Olympiacos in early May, photo source: AS Monaco Basketball
A bittersweet defeat
With form on their side and a place in next year’s competition sealed, Monaco headed to Greece, where an entirely different challenge awaited them. Although Monaco prevailed in their regular season meeting against Olympiacos, there was a recognition that they wouldn’t have things all their own way in the Peace and Friendship Stadium.
And so it transpired. Olympiacos dominated in the first-leg. Monaco’s hunger to make it to the final four in Belgrade was questioned, an accusation that was rebutted every time it was thrown Obradoivc’s way. Yet actions are stronger than words, and their actions in the second-leg showed they were still alive and kicking, as they took the tie back to the Principality all square.
Olympiacos retook the lead in the first tie in Monaco, before the Roca Team hit back in the fourth to take it to a final, winner-takes-all tie in Athens. With history, statistics, the crowd and all logic going against them, Monaco nonetheless led for the majority of the tie, before eventually succumbing in the final-quarter, bringing an end to this year’s European adventure.
Yet this defeat doesn’t have the flavour of any other. In the moment, it is so easy to decontextualise the event, but the cold light of day gives rise to a realisation of what exactly had just happened. Monaco, a side who weren’t even in the top French division a matter of years ago, had taken the European giants Olympiacos to a winner-takes-all play-off tie on their own court, and almost prevailed.
Whatever the indescribable flavour of this defeat is, it’s a curious one, and one that leaves a lingering aftertaste of optimism and expectation for next year’s continental adventure.
The director reflects
Following defeat in Athens, Oleksiy Yefimov reflected on the side’s incredible achievement, telling Monaco Life, “I don’t believe anyone could have imagined where we ended up. We’re the first newcomer team to have reached the playoffs and the first French league representative to reach the playoffs. We’ve done it with the 14th largest budget amongst 18 clubs, despite the fact that we lost four victories to Russian opposition after the decision to remove them from the competition.”
For the Roca Team’s managing director, their play-off performance proved their worth. “The quarter-final series against Olympiacos proved that what we did wasn’t accidental and that we deserved our place in the play-offs.”
With that success comes a larger platform, heightened interest and ultimately more fans. Yefimov is already considering how to accommodate that increased demand. “The government made a miracle when they increased the capacity from 3,000 to 4,000 last summer, and it’s great that this summer, the arena will be increased up to 5,000 (minimum Euroleague standard).”
He continued, “We probably couldn’t have imagined anything better in the short-term. But of course, the demands for basketball in the Principality are growing and I think that the question of constructing a new arena shall be on the agenda.”
This Roca Team has created an unprecedented demand for basketball in Monaco. It’s now a question of satisfying that demand and consolidating their success both on and off the court.
The Salle des Princes auditorium at the Grimaldi Forum boasts one of the rarest state-of-the-art sound systems in the world, and it’s just been revamped, for the benefit of performers and the audience alike.
The unsung hero of any event is the sound design.
Every performance, and each type of music, requires a different type of sound environment, taking into account things such as reverberation time which vary depending on whether it’s a rock concert, an opera, a ballet or a conference.
In 2000, the Salle des Princes was equipped with a sound system found in only 10 other places worldwide. Called the CARMEN system, a French acronym for Active Control of Reverberation by a Natural Effect Virtual Wall, it is designed and developed by CSTB acousticians, and features an electroacoustic system based on the principle of active virtual walls. Thanks to these virtual walls, it is possible to change the reverberation of the room according to the show to reach the ideal acoustics without amplification systems.
The CARMEN system recently underwent a major upgrade, and was tested in the presence of local media on Wednesday 4th May.
Photo: Grimaldi Forum Monaco
The system allows for different configurations which enable it to be adapted to each specific scenario, making for pitch perfection every time.
“It is no longer the artists that adapt their performance to the concert hall, it is the concert hall that adapts to the artists’ performance,” says the Grimaldi Forum. “This innovative technology immerses musicians, speakers and spectators in an acoustic space that offers the best sound experience, regardless of where you sit in the room.” This is made possible by implementing about 30 cells, each consisting of a microphone, an electronic filter unit, a powerful amplifier and a loudspeaker. These cells arranged in virtual walls are distributed on the walls of the room and on the ceiling, the whole being controlled by a digital audio station.
Microphone and speaker placement ensures natural acoustics for any type of event.
For Sylvie Biancheri, General Manager of the Grimaldi Forum Monaco, the system is a dream. “The Carmen system provides ideal acoustics that allow us to offer quality and diversified events. Our resident artists, be it the Philharmonic Orchestra, the Opera, the Printemps des Arts or the Ballets de Monte-Carlo, have been unanimous for 20 years on the added value of this technology. This system upgrade will delight them, as it will continue to attract and appeal to all of our clients and partners who organise high quality events in the Salle des Princes.”
The first performances to take advantage of the upgraded system are coming up from 3rd to 6th June for the Ballets de Monte-Carlo Summer Season opener of Jean-Christophe Maillots Coppél-i.A.
The popular Swedish housewares super store Ikea is finally opening in Nice Saint-Isidore on 11th May, giving long-suffering shoppers of the brand a close and convenient option.
After years of making the trek to Toulon or Genoa to pick up all those items one needs but doesn’t really need – a hallmark of Ikea shopping – patrons on the Riviera will this week have their very own branch to go to.
The Nice Saint-Isidore location boasts eco-friendly construction and standards, making it one of the first of a new generation of environmentally conscious super stores in the region. The roof is lined with 3,100 solar panels which the company estimates will meet 40% of their energy needs. Additionally, the grounds have approximately 10,000 m2 of green areas to blend in with the surrounding landscape.
The store is accessible by tram from Centre-Ville Nice, allowing shoppers to leave their cars at home, and it has a massive 32,000m2 surface area. For those who do drive, 1,700 parking spaces are on-site for convenience.
Over 360 employees will be “á votre service” between 10am and 8pm, Monday to Saturday, with the market specialising in Scandinavian treats open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm.
Though this location is new, it will be comforting to know that the store itself is based on the same model as every other Ikea in the world. There will be the vast array of flat-pack furniture items, home accessories and plants that everyone knows and loves, with home deliveries and assembly services for fitted kitchens and other furniture available.
All the headlines and highlights from Monaco, direct to you every morning
