Report 2015
Whilst it may not have been an Olympic year, 2015 was nonetheless an eventful one for the Monaco Olympic Committee, and it is my pleasure to review the year’s highlights with you today.
12th Winter EYOF: 25th - 30th January
The year opened with the 12th Winter European Youth Olympic Festival, run jointly by Austria in Vorarlberg and by Liechtenstein, from 25th to 30th January.
H.R.H. Princess Alexandra of Hanover took part in the figure skating accompanied by her trainer Claudie Lucine.
Supported by H.S.H. the Sovereign Prince, H.R.H. Princess Caroline of Hanover, Her Excellency Ms Yvette Lambin-Berti, Secretary General of the Monaco Olympic Committee, and Mr Pascal Camia, President of the Monaco Skating Federation, our young skater finished the competition in 29th place, after the short program and the free skating program.
The Chef de Mission and press officer were Messrs Sébastien Gattuso and Stéphan Maggi respectively.
16th GSSE (Reykjavik, Iceland): 1st - 6th June
From 1st to 6th June, Iceland hosted the Games of the Small States of Europe at Reykjavik.
For this 16th edition, tennis player Benjamin Balleret had the honour of carrying the flag during the Opening Ceremony.
H.S.H. the Sovereign Prince once again graced the assembly with his presence. He followed the progress of our athletes during the competitions, giving them his encouragement. He also chaired the traditional dinner of the Monaco Olympic Committee attended by all members of the delegation, joined by Mr Patrice Cellario, Government Minister of the Interior.
103 athletes (40 women and 63 men) competed in the colours of the Principality in 11 disciplines.
A grand total of 33 medals were won:
- 7 gold (1 in judo, 1 in tennis, 3 in table tennis, 2 in shooting)
-11 silver (2 in athletics, 2 in judo, 3 in golf, 1 in gymnastics, 1 in swimming, 2 in table tennis)
-15 bronze (5 in athletics, 1 in beach volleyball, 1 in golf, 2 in gymnastics, 3 in judo, 2 in swimming and 1 in shooting)
It should be noted that we finished in 5th place (behind Iceland, Luxembourg, Cyprus and Montenegro). However, we still hold 4th place in the overall rankings since the inception of the Games.
On this occasion the Press Centre assigned two teams of journalists and cameramen who provided daily coverage on the local channel. Code Sport magazine also sent a reporter.
1st European Games (Baku, Azerbaijan ) : 12th - 28th June
From the Atlantic Ocean to the shores of the Caspian Sea: a few days later (from 12th to 28th June), Baku (Azerbaijan) was the setting for the 1st European Games.
Brice Etes (Athletics) carried the flag at the Opening Ceremony attended by H.S.H. the Sovereign Prince.
Five athletes (representing four disciplines) took part:
- In Athletics, Brice Etes finished 6th out of 12 participants in the final of the 800 metres.
- Cyclist Victor Langellotti suffered mixed fortunes in the road race (did not finish) and time trial (injured) on particularly difficult courses.
- Judo competitors Yann Siccardi (60 kg) and Cédric Bessi (73 kg) were overcome by a Belarusian and a Montenegrin respectively.
- Finally, in diving, Ian-Sören Cabioch was placed 27th in the 1 metre springboard and 31st in the 3 metre springboard.
For the Closing Ceremony, Cédric Bessi was chosen to carry the flag.
During the trip, a dinner for all the representatives upheld the tradition of conviviality and cordial discussions.
The Monaco Press Centre was also in attendance.
13th Summer EYOF (Tbilisi, Georgia): 26th July - 1st August
The 13th Summer European Youth Olympic Festival was held from 26th July to 1st August in Tbilisi (Georgia).
Swimmer Claudia Verdino carried the flag for the Opening Ceremony
On this occasion, 5 athletes represented 2 disciplines:
- Marie-Charlotte Gastaud (Athletics) took 8th place in her round, running the 100 metres in 13.67, two-hundredths of a second short of her personal best.
Four swimmers took part:
- Marine Le Berrigaud competed in the 100 metre and 200 metre butterfly.
- Claudia Verdino competed in the 200 metre individual medley and the 200 metre breaststroke.
- Dorian Viora competed in the 100 metre and 200 metre freestyle.
- Théo Chiabaut competed in the 200 metre freestyle and 200 metre backstroke.
For the very first time in its history, Monaco entered a team in the 4x100m mixed medley relay in which all our competitors achieved a personal best. The same mixed relay team competed in the 4x100m freestyle.
The Closing Ceremony took place on 28th June with Marie-Charlotte Gastaud carrying the flag.
1st Mediterranean Beach Games (Pescara, Italy)
28th August - 6th September
Pescara (Italy) was the setting for the 1st Mediterranean Beach Games from 28th August to 6th September, and Mathias Raymond carried the flag at the Opening Ceremony for this event.
In the sea-rowing event, two athletes (Mathias Raymond and Maxime Maillet) took part in the double sculls (C2X). They took 5th place out of nine. Their coach was Mr Pascal Garcia.
The delegation led by Mr Christian Zabaldano, Member of the Olympic Committee, consisted of Messrs Henri Doria, President of the Monaco Rowing Federation, and Sébastien Gattuso, Chef de Mission.
A busy year with a varied schedule of meetings
In parallel with these major sporting events, the Monaco Olympic Committee attended a number of other meetings throughout the year, including:
- - Five Chef de Mission seminars:
- o For the "Iceland 2015" GSSE
- o for the "Tbilisi 2015" Summer EYOF
- o for the "Pescara 2015" 1st Mediterranean Beach Games
- o for the "Rio 2016" Summer Olympics
- o for the "Lillehammer 2016" Winter YOG
- - The meeting of the Technical Commission and the Executive Council of the Games of the Small States of Europe, held in Iceland in March
- - The 36th seminar of the European Olympic Committees in Antalya, Turkey, in May
- - The General Assembly of the International Committee of Mediterranean Games in Pescara, Italy, in August. Algeria, with the city of Oran, won the vote to host the 2021 Mediterranean Games.
- - The seminar on "Gender Equality in Sport" in Zagreb (Croatia) in October
- - The 8th European Athletes Forum in Bratislava (Slovakia) in October
- - The General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees and the Francophone Association of National Olympic Committees, held in Washington in October.
In addition, two important decisions were taken at the General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees:
- o to grant membership to two new NOCs: Kosovo and South Sudan,
- o to award the first edition of the World Beach Games, 29th September to 9th October 2017, to San Diego.
At the General Assembly of the Francophone Association of National Olympic Committees, the NOCs of Cape Verde and of Sao Tomé and Principe, together with the Francophone Association of Baseball and Softball and the Francophone Cycling Union, were also present.
In line with the framework agreement signed by the Francophone Association of National Olympic Committees and the International Organisation of La Francophonie (IOF) in 2013, a new protocol agreement was announced between the two institutions.
A grant from the IOF will be paid in order to finance measures in support of the French language and the Olympic Francophonie before and during the Rio 2016 Olympics and Paralympics.
- - Still in Washington, the Extraordinary General Assembly of the International Committee of Mediterranean Games was held, during which Kosovo NOC was accepted as a member.
- - Finally, in November we attended the General Assembly of the European Olympic Committees in Prague, at which the EOCs gave an update on the selection process to determine the host city for the 2019 European Games.
Mr Patrick Hickey, President of the EOCs, confirmed that "Russia remains the EOCs' preferred partner to host the 2019 European Games. Provided that independent authorities are able to confirm Russia's ability to put in place an anti-doping programme that fully meets the most stringent international standards".
All these trips provide opportunities for the representatives of the Monaco Olympic Committee, including the Secretary General, delegates, Chefs de Mission and the President of the GSSE Technical Commission, to collect valuable information about preparatory work for future events, to set schedules and make arrangements for upcoming deadlines, and last but not least, to visit the sports facilities in situ.
It is necessary for the Monaco Olympic Committee to have a presence and visibility at assemblies and bodies throughout the year; at the same time, it is useful in that this enables the Committee to develop its relationships with the other NOCs in the world.
On this occasion, the Executive Office of the Monaco Olympic Committee wishes to extend its thanks to:
- - Ms Fabienne Pasetti,
- - Messrs Jean-Pierre Schoebel, Stéphane Mannino, Raymond Gnutti, Christian Zabaldano, Henri Doria, and Stéphan Maggi
for their commitment and their willingness to participate in the various meetings and events.
Equally, to the Committee members: Ms Christine Remen, Ms Aurore Deloose, Mr Sébastien Gattuso and Mr Sébastien Scoffier, for all the work they have carried out throughout the year.
Still in the international arena, Mona Ferry, an athlete with the Monaco Equestrian Federation, took part in the 55th Session of the International Olympic Academy, traditionally held at Ancient Olympia during late May and early June.
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Additionally, on 26th April the Secretary General of the Monaco Olympic Committee, accompanied by Mr Edouard Doria, Secretary General of the Monaco Cycling Federation, welcomed Mr Jorge Cristóvão, a Portuguese athlete visiting the Principality as one of the stages on a long-distance bicycle ride he had engaged upon to link Lisbon with Baku, to mark, in his own fashion, the first European Games.
On 17th June, Mr Christian Zabaldano, acting on behalf of the Monaco Olympic Committee, presented the medals for the 25th Monaco School Athletics.
Olympic Day: 24th June
To celebrate Olympic Day on 24th June, the Monaco Olympic Committee partnered with the Monaco Anti-Doping Committee, which has become an independent body .
Sports federation officials, coaches and athletes attended the Yacht Club in order to learn more about the fight against doping.
H.S.H. Prince Albert II, His Excellency the Minister of State and many prominent figures were present at this event which was attended by over 150 people.
Her Excellency Ms Yvette Lambin-Berti, Secretary General of the Monaco Olympic Committee, made a speech in which she highlighted the importance of the sporting world as a whole playing a strong and active part in the fight against doping.
Mr Philippe Orengo, President of the Monaco Anti-Doping Committee (CMA), spoke about the history of this organisation with all the roles it has taken on and their implications. This important day was concluded with the signing of an agreement with the State.
Sportel
As part of Sportel 2015, the Monaco Olympic Committee's prize for the best illustrated sports book was awarded to Mr Jean-Luc Gatellier for his book 'Tour de France - L'âge d'or 1940-1970".
"No Finish Line"
At the 16th edition of "No Finish Line", a team took part wearing the colours of the Monaco Olympic Committee.
Adopting the slogan "Ayons du coeur, courrons ensemble" (Let's take heart and run together), 25 young and not-so-young Olympic athletes, together with Committee members, clocked up a total of 704.32 km for this charity event.
Sports grants
Finally, we will conclude with the sports grants that have been awarded by His Serene Highness the Sovereign Prince to:
- - Brice Etes (Athletics)
- - Quentin Antognelli (Rowing)
- - Victor Langellotti (Cycling)
- - Mona Ferry, Dietline Thomel and Wenceslas Thomel (Equestrianism)
- - Milla Fabre and Kévin Crovetto (Gymnastics)
- - Dylan Sosso (Gymnastics - Trampoline)
- - Cédric Bessi and Yann Siccardi (Judo)
- - Claudia Verdino, Théo Chiabaut and Dorian Viora (Swimming)
- - Ian Sören Cabioch (Diving)
- - Alexandra Coletti, Arnaud Alessandria, Olivier Jenot
and Paul Croesi (Skiing)
- - Anouk Doria (Taekwondo)
- - Lucas Catarina (Tennis)