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A1 Padel: CMB Monaco Master returns with New York Yankees as an investor

by: Luke Entwistle
14/04/2023
a1 padel monaco

The CMB Monaco Master Padel tournament, part of the A1 Padel circuit, will return to the Principality in June after investment from the iconic baseball team, the New York Yankees. 

This year’s tournament will once again take place at the foot of the Monte-Carlo Casino and will attract the world’s biggest players, including Maxi Arce and Franco Dal Bianco.

The A1 Padel tour has already travelled to Cape Town and Seville, and was even as local as Beausoleil for the French Open. However, between 5th and 11th June, Padel, which is played by more than 30 million people globally and is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world, will return to the Principality.

New York Yankees invest in A1 Padel

In line with Padel’s growth globally, there has been an expansion of the A1 calendar and the tournament is attracting big investors. In late March, it was announced that the iconic American baseball team the New York Yankees would make a “strategic investment” in A1 Padel.

“Padel is growing rapidly, and A1 Padel is producing high-quality, dynamic events for players, fans and sponsors, and there is a remarkable opportunity for sustained expansion,” said New York Yankees President Randy Levine. “We look forward to serving as a strategic partner to elevate the sport of Padel and the A1 Padel brand, particularly in raising awareness in the United States and beyond,” he continued.

 

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Photo from Unsplash

France steps up anti-bullying measures in schools

by: Stephanie Horsman
13/04/2023
france bullying

The French government has announced a series of new measures aimed at preventing and dealing with bullies at schools, following Monaco’s lead, which passed anti-bullying legislation in August last year.  

France started its campaign against harassment and bullying in 2017, and though it was a bit of a slow burn at first, efforts have recently been ramped up.  

Pap Ndiaye, France’s Minister of National Education and Youth, has now announced the strengthening of previous measures to prevent harassment, or in the case where it is too late for that, to deal with bullies effectively and quickly.  

ONE IN 10 BULLIED AT SCHOOL 

Recent statistics show that one in 10 children has experienced some form of school bullying at one point or another. The damage it does can run deep and has led to desperation so entrenched that the victims have withdrawn, become depressed or, in extreme cases, committed suicide.  

The government has defined school bullying as “repetitive physical, verbal or psychological violence perpetrated by one or more students against one of their classmates”, which covers pretty much all bases, but now additional terms have been laid out to clarify any grey areas.  

THE STEPS BEING TAKEN 

Firstly, the pHARe programme, the current anti-bullying plan, will be extended to include secondary schools, with the goal of reaching 100% of schools from the start of next school year. At present, 86% of colleges and 60% of schools overall are registered, which is strong, but not entirely comprehensive, leaving some students to fall between the cracks.  

The government will also reiterate the use of dedicated emergency hotline numbers – 3020 for harassment and 3018 for cyberbullying – as ways for victims or witnesses of bullying to send evidence of incidents to authorities to better help those being bullied.  

Teacher training will also be stepped up, with the National Higher Institutes of Teaching and Education (INSPE) and the Academic Schools of Continuing Education (EAFC) participating in programmes to prepare teachers to recognise and take action against harassers. 

The government is also looking to proactively bring parents and students together to try and resolve differences and end bad behaviours, but failing this, school officials will be given extra powers to remove perpetrators from the school.

MONACO’S ANTI-BULLYING LAW 

Monaco has had an anti-bullying law on the books since August 2022, as reported by Monaco Life, and has similar methods in place, but goes further in that an “appropriate and dissuasive criminal response” can be enacted in cases where the bullying has been repetitive or extreme.  

READ MORE:

New school bullying law to come into effect in September

 

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Photo source: Road Ahead for Unsplash

 

Padel: Ex-professional footballers Gianluca Zambrotta and Gaël Givet to participate in Five Padel Cup

by: Luke Entwistle
13/04/2023

It’s the season of racquet sports in Monaco, and whilst the Monte-Carlo Masters is still in full swing, the inaugural edition of the Five Padel Cup is set to get underway, with former international footballers Gianluca Zambrotta and Gaël Givet in the line-up. 

The action kicks off at the Èze Tennis Club on Tuesday 18th April, with other events related to the tournament taking place in Monaco from Monday 17th April. The tournament will meld both professional and amateur elements. Whist professional players in the mixed, men’s, women’s and wheelchair disciplines will participate, notably Niçois player Dorian Navarro, stars from across the spectrum of sport will also be present to promote the emerging sport that is Padel.

Notably, two Barbaguians teams will be present, one of which will include Givet, a former France international, who competed in the Champions League final with AS Monaco back in 2004.

“I immediately liked this discipline. It is technically easy to learn and the joy of playing came quickly. The Five Padel Cup allows former professional sportsmen to get together and promote Padel,” said Givet.

Other members of the Barbagiuans team, most commonly associated with the charitable Fight AIDS Cup football match, will be announced in due course.

“We are very grateful for the availability of these players to take part in the Barbaguians events, and, in fact, to defend the causes that affect us,” said Barbagiuans president Louis Ducruet.

Zambroatta, who featured almost 100 times for the Italian national football team, and who played for clubs such as Barcelona, Juventus and AC Milan, will also participate in the event, organised by BSG SRL Rome.

 

 

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Photo by Oliver Sjöström on Unspalsh

 

Christie’s Chagall auction rakes in over €5 million, more than triple the anticipated sales

by: Stephanie Horsman
13/04/2023
christie's chagall

Every single lot at the recent Christie’s online Marc Chagall auction was sold. It was a resounding success that saw the total sales comfortably top the €5 million mark against the conservative pre-auction estimate of just over €1.5 million.  

All-in-all, the 50 Chagall pieces that went under the gavel between 27th March and 11th April by auction house Christie’s pulled in an astounding €5,370,750 in sales.  

Marc Chagall was a huge influencer back in the days before anyone even knew what that meant.  

An early modernist, he was associated with several major artistic styles and his works covered several artistic formats, including paintings, drawings, book illustrations, stained glass, stage sets, ceramics, tapestries and fine art prints. 

The Russian-French artist made Saint-Paul-de-Vence his home for the last two decades of his life, dying there at the ripe old age of 97 in 1985. Alongside other renowned artists of his time, such as Picasso and Matisse, he found the light of the south of France irresistible and created some wonderful masterpieces whilst living there.  

Exceeded expectations

Most of the works auctioned came from the latter part of the artist’s life, after he returned to France having lived in exile in the United States during World War II. Even as he grew old, his themes remained light and whimsical, though never same-same, with colour and light determining the contours and contrasts of each work.  

Ahead of the event, sales estimates were set at between €1,523,700 and €2,288,700, but as the last of the bidding ended, it was clear those numbers were far from the reality. Every item sold and sold above the individual expected prices.

One example is the painting Violoncelliste rouge et bouc jaune dans le ciel sombre from 1981, which sold for an astounding €352,000, far above the expected €120,000 to €180,000.  

christie's chagall
Violoncelliste rouge et bouc jaune dans le ciel sombre from 1981. Photo courtesy of Christie’s

Another, the 1958 Étude pour “Commedia dell’arte” pictured in the main image and created for the foyer of the Frankfurt Theatre, was thought to be worth between €4,000 and €6,000. In fact, it went for 10 times that at €52,920. 

A second auction planned for later this year 

Another auction will take place in October, when Christie’s New York will present Chagall anew with Colour of Life: Prints and Artist’s Books Formerly from the Artist’s Estate. Celebrating Chagall’s life-long love of printmaking, the sale will feature works from the 1920s to the 1970s, and will include several rare hand-coloured proofs. 

 

Do you have an event in Monaco or the French Riviera that you would like us to include in our What’s On section and events calendar? Please email editor@monacolife.net.   

 

Photos courtesy of Christie’s 

Robbie Williams, Seal, Chris Isaak… The full Monte-Carlo Summer Festival line-up is revealed

by: Cassandra Tanti
13/04/2023

After weeks of name dropping, the final line-up for the 2023 Monte-Carlo Summer Festival was unveiled on Thursday, with music heavyweights Robbie Williams, Seal and Chris Isaak now among the headline acts.

Select members of the press, Monte-Carlo SBM and Monte Carlo Live were present for the unveiling of the full schedule in the courtyard of the Hôtel de Paris on Thursday 13th April.

Most of the performers at this year’s music festival had been announced previously – namely Sting, Ricky Martin, Mika, Tarkan and tribute performer ‘Michael’ The Magic of Michael Jackson.

But there were still a few surprises announced by Monte-Carlo Summer Festival Artistic Director Gilles Marsan. Headlining the music festival this year will be singing legend Robbie Williams, who will perform at the Red Cross Gala on Saturday 29th July.

Seal will take to the stage in the Salle des Etoiles on Sunday 16th July, Norah Jones is set to perform at the Opéra Garnier on Wednesday 12th July, and Chris Isaak will also play at the Opéra Garnier on Monday 10thJuly.

In August, in addition to Mika on Friday 4th, it was revealed that Nile Rodgers & Chic will play on Saturday 12th, Eros Ramazzotti on the 8th, and finally Tarkan will hit the stage of the Salle des Etoiles on Saturday 19thAugust.

Photo by Monaco Life

New this year is ‘Billionaire’ from 31st July to 22nd August. Described as a “nocturnal adventure offering luxury dining paired with nightlife, consisting of special shows and spectacular entertainment”, the Flavio Briatore-conceived concept will grace the Sporting Monte-Carlo, after experiences in Dubai, Porto Cervo, Doha and Riyadh.

It will be the last year that Gilles Marsan is Artistic Director of Monaco’s largest musical festival. After four decades with Monte-Carlo SBM, Marsan is retiring, and he was full of emotion as he thanked everyone involved in the making of the Monte-Carlo Summer Festival, an enormous effort that takes a full year to put together.

For more information and bookings, visit: montecarlolive.com

Read more:

Ricky Martin to perform with Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra for one night only in Monaco

 

Do you have an event in Monaco or the French Riviera that you would like us to include in our What’s On section and events calendar? Please email editor@monacolife.net.  

 

Photo of Monte-Carlo Summer Festival Artistic Director Gilles Marsan during Thursday’s press conference by Monaco Life

 

NB: This article was originally published on 13th April 2023

 

Monaco imposes cap as it welcomes cruise ships back to its waters

by: Cassandra Tanti
12/04/2023

The arrival of fine weather has marked the return of cruise ship stopovers in Port Hercule, with the government promising to impose strict limits.

From April to November, cruise ships will return en masse alongside yachts in the ports of Monaco, or at anchor near the Principality, with thousands of tourists eager to experience the legend that is Monaco and the surrounding French Riviera.

While it is a welcome boost to the local tourism sector, it does have an environmental impact on the small Principality and its coastline.

In an effort to preserve the atmospheric and marine environment, the government, in announcing the return of cruise season on Wednesday, said that it is working with the Société d’Exploitation des Ports de Monaco (SEPM) on a “rational” cruise policy.

“By setting a maximum limit on the size of ships at the port or moor, a limit on the maximum capacity of passengers on board, and the duration of the season, the Government allows the reception of cruises in line with the image of Monaco, its quality of life and its economic attractiveness,” said the government.

This year, authorities aim to undertake inspections on 90% of vessels, and analysis of samples from 30% of those cruise ships at the Rainier III breakwater.

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Photo by Monaco Life