Sunday, August 24, 2008

Interesting Facts About Olympic Nations - Monaco

Did you know ...

Prince Albert II -Head State of Monaco- is an ardent supporter of the Olympic Movement. He is president of the Monegasque Olympic Committee and member of the International Olympic Committee ( IOC ). In 2007, he visited the Beijing venue construction sites. "China has already contributed a lot to the Olympic Movement. I hope this will be not only a very successful Games ( Beijing 2008 ) but the one that embodies the spirit", he said. Prince Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre Grimaldi likes all kinds of sports: rugby, soccer, handball, tennis, squash, golf and volleyball. He participated in bobsleigh at the Winter Olympics in Canada ( 1988 ), France ( 1992 ), Norway ( 1994 ), Japan ( 1998 ) and the United States ( 2002 ). H.S.H the Sovereign Prince Albert II was born on March 14, 1958 in Monaco.

The Principality of Monaco competed at the Summer Olympics for the first time at the 1920 Olympic Games in Belgium. It became the 25th member of the International Olympic Committee ( IOC ).

The most popular sportspeople are: Sebastien Gatusso ( 100m, 200m, 4x100m /athletics ), Alexandra Coletti ( alpine skiing ), Christophe Verdino ( aquatics ), Jean Charles Seneca ( fencing), Francis Boisson ( shooting ), Brice Etes ( 800m / track & field ), Patrice Servelle ( bobsleigh ), Lahcen Essoussi ( 10,000m / athletics ), Jean-Luc Adomo (aquatics), Irene Tiendrebeogo ( high jump / track & field ), Joe Barrai ( shooting ), Irina Kazakova ( 10,000m / athletics ), Fabienne Pasetti ( shooting ), Jean Laurent Ravera ( swimming ), Sylvain Faure ( aquatics ), Olivier Jenot ( alpine skiing ), Jeremy Bottin ( bobsleigh ), Mustapha Tantan ( 10,000m / track and field ).

Monte Carlo ( Monaco ) hosted the FINA Water Polo European Cup in 1947. Final standings: 1.Italy, 2.Sweden, 3.Belgium.

The Principality of Monaco - it is the world's second smallest country- did not participate at the 1980 Summer Olympic Games in Moscow ( USSR / Soviet Union ). Why? This European country boycotted the Games to protest the Russian invasion of Afghanistan.

The most popular sports in Monaco are soccer, tennis, judo, fencing, boxing, basketball, athletics, aquatics...

This European country hosted the 2nd IOC Session in 1927.

Sebastien Gattuso is one of the best sprinters of Monaco. Sebastien was the flag bearer of the Monegasque Olympic team at the 2004 Athens. He also participated at the 2007 World Track and Field Championships held in Osaka ( Japan ).

This European country sent 8 athletes to the 1984 Olympic Games in California ( USA ). It competed in five sports: athletics ( 1 ), fencing ( 1 ), wrestling( 1 ), shooting ( 4 ) and swimming ( 1 ).

The Monegasque Olympic Committee was founded in 1907.

Monte Carlo hosted the Fencing World Cup in 1950.

The Principality of Monaco was one of the 80 countries who participated at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin ( Italy ). Monaco's debut in the Winter Games took place in 1984 in Sarajevo ( fomer Yugoslavia / currently Bosnia Herzegovina ).

This country won a bronze medal at the 1963 Mediterranean Games in Naples ( Italy ).

The 2007 Games of the Small States of Europe were held in Monaco ( Monaco ). For the second time, the Games were held in this European country. In total, around 1,200 athletes from 8 countries competed in 12 sports ( aquatics, athletics, basketball, beach volleyball, bowls, gymnastics, judo, sailing, shooting, table tennis, tennis, volleyball ). It was the start of a new time in the history of the sport in Monaco. During an interview, Yvette Lambin-Bertin ( president of the Organizing Committee of the Games ) said, " The idea for the Games of the Small States of Europe emerged during a meeting between the leaders of those countries in 1984 at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The following year, this new sporting event. Focused on friendship, fraternity and solidarity, was launched in San Marino. European countries with a population of below one million inhabitants recognized by the International Olympic Committee ( IOC ) and the European Olympic Committees ( EOC ) take part in the event, i.e. eight nations: Andorra, Cyprus, Iceland. Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco and San Marino. Organized every two years, the second edition of the Games of the Small States of Europe was held in Monaco in 1987..."

Medal count

Ranking..........Gold...Silver...Bronze ...Total

1.Cyprus..........36.........33........24.......93

2.Iceland..........31.........23........24.......78

3.Luxembourg...20.........25........36.......81

4.Monaco..........19.........16........17......52

5.Malta..............4............9........17......30

6.Andorra..........4............6..........7.......17

7.San Marino......4...........6..........6.......16

8.Liechtenstein...3...........5..........5.......13

Alejandro Guevara Onofre: He is a freelance writer. Alejandro is of Italian, African and Peruvian ancestry. He has published more than seventy-five research paper in English, and more than twenty in Spanish, concerning the world issues, olympic sports, countries, and tourism. His next essay is called "The Dictator and Alicia Alonso". He is an expert on foreign affairs. Alejandro is the first author who has published a world-book encyclopedia in Latin America.

He admires Frida Kahlo (Mexican painter), Jos Gamarra (former president of the Bolivian Olympic Committee ,1970- 1982), Hillary Clinton (ex-First Lady of the USA), and Jimmy Carter (former President of the USA). Alejandro said: "The person who I admire the most is Jos Gamarra . He devoted his professional and personal life to sport. Jos played an important role in the promotion of Olympism in Bolivia -it is one of the Third World`s poorest countries- and Latin America. His biography is interesting". The sportspeople he most admire is Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman. "This African-American sportswoman is my idol... "

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