NEWS.MC TV brings you the top headlines from Monaco this week — a week of culture, history, diplomacy, and a touch of sporting flair.
Monaco’s literary scene took the spotlight as the Prince Pierre Foundation unveiled the finalists for the prestigious 2025 Literary Prize and Discovery Grant. The announcement came during a meeting of the Foundation’s Literary Council, chaired by Her Royal Highness the Princess of Hanover, at the Ritz in Paris on May 14. The shortlists reaffirm Monaco’s enduring dedication to the arts and literary excellence.
In a nod to history, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II continued his tour of ancestral Grimaldi territories with an official visit to southern Italy. This follows his recent journey through the French Ardennes, as the Prince strengthens Monaco’s cultural and historical connections across Europe.
Meanwhile, HSH Princess Charlene is diving into community outreach — quite literally. On May 15, her foundation unveiled a mobile aquatic centre in the village of Allos in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. The initiative aims to promote water safety and swimming education in remote areas, bringing the Princess’s mission to rural communities.
Diplomatic affairs saw Prince Albert II in Tirana on May 16 for the 6th Summit of the European Political Community. The summit brought together heads of state to discuss regional stability, energy, and shared challenges across the continent.
Religion and royalty met in Rome on May 18 as the Princely couple attended the inauguration mass of Pope Leo XIV, held in a packed St. Peter’s Square just ten days after the pontiff’s election. The occasion marked a significant moment in global religious diplomacy.
Back in the Principality, Monaco’s Fire Brigade revealed a new badge design — only the third in its long history — during a ceremony at the Condamine relief centre on May 19. The update symbolises modernisation while preserving the corps’ proud traditions.
Shifting gears — quite literally — Prince Albert II launched Monaco’s first-ever cycling academy on May 21. The project reflects the Principality’s growing passion for cycling and offers a structured pathway for aspiring riders to develop under expert guidance.
Finally, the much-loved pre-Grand Prix charity football match made its return to Stade Louis-II, rebranded as the Racing Stars Football Cup. Held on May 21, the game saw Formula 1 drivers trade wheels for boots in a spirited clash against the Barbagiuans of Monaco, drawing celebrities and fans alike in a celebration of sport and solidarity.
This week, we’re joined by Umberto Riva, CEO of Riva Sports Management. In an exclusive interview, Riva shares insights into the evolving world of athlete management, the challenges of nurturing talent in the high-stakes world of elite sport, and why Monaco continues to be a magnet for top-tier sporting talent.
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news.MC on Monaco info is brought to you by Monaco Legend Properties. Bringing you news on Monaco’s economy, culture, sports, and more. Welcome to News.mm, your English rendevous on Monaco info. Coming up on News.mc, discover past week’s top stories and meet the people who make Monaco. My name is Ombberto. I’m the owner and CEO of Reva Sports Management and you are watching news.MC on Monaco. What’s been making headline in the past week? The literary council of the Prince Pierre Foundation chaired by her royal highness the princess of Hanover met on May 14th at the Ritz in Paris to announce the finalists for the 2025 Prince Pierre Literary Prize and Discovery Grant. Four acclaimed French-speaking authors, Natasha Aana, Lu Philipe Dalbear, Marie Helen Lafon, and Marie Nimier were shortlisted for the literary prize, which honors an author’s entire body of work. Six debut writers, including Reuben Baroo and Adele Yon, were selected for the Discovery Grant, which recognizes originality and literary promise. Jury members, including Amin Marlu, welcome the strong female presence on this year’s lists. Winners will be revealed on October 14th, 2025 at the opera Gier de Monaco in the presence of his Serene Highness Prince Alberta II. His Serene Highness Prince Albert II continued his tour of ancestral Grimmaldi territories with an official visit to southern Italy following recent travels in the French Arden. On May 14th, the sovereign prince visited the historic town of Ursina in Basilicarta where he unveiled a commemorative plaque in Piaza San Francesco and delivered a speech marking the town’s recent inclusion in the association of historic Grimmaldi sites of Italy. Formerly known as Montipelos, was a Grimmaldi senuri in the 16th and 17th centuries. The visit highlighted these donastic links, including the recent restoration of a Grimaldierary monument bearing the family’s coat of arms. On May 15th, the prince toured the UNESCO listed archaeological site of Pompei, one of the world’s most significant remnants of Roman civilization. He later visited the sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary, a place especially meaningful due to Princess Grace’s deep devotion to the rosary. Monaco’s ambassador to Italy, Anne Eastwood, noted the visit’s broader diplomatic significance as it follows the recent revival of the Italian Monagas Bilateral Commission. After a decade, the Princess Charlene Foundation has launched an innovative mobile aquatic center unveiled in the village of Alos in the Alp Deote Province on May the 15th. Created in collaboration with Aqua Itinerys, the 8 m traveling pool is housed in a truck and aims to teach children aged 3 to 12 how to swim, particularly in rural areas lacking infrastructure. Designed by humanitarian Jean Franuis Bisson, the project addresses high child drowning rates with over 300,000 deaths reported globally each year. The initiative allows more than 1,000 children annually to learn life-saving skills close to home, supporting the foundation’s core mission of drowning prevention through education and sport. His Serene Highness Prince Albert II took part in the sixth summit of the European political community held on May 16th in Tana, Albania. The high level gathering brought together around 60 heads of state and government including French President Emanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zilinski to discuss shared European priorities in a turbulent geopolitical climate. His Serene Highness Prince Albert II attended the plenary session and participated in a roundt on energy competitiveness and connectivity underlining Monaco’s active engagement on regional and sustainability issues. The summit launched in 2022 promotes dialogue between EU and non-EU members. Albania’s hosting of the event marked a significant moment in its European integration journey. While Monaco’s presence reaffirmed its commitment to a stable, cooperative, and forward-looking Europe, their serene highnesses, Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene were in Rome to attend the inaugural mass of Pope Leo I 14th held in St. Peter Square on May the 18th, 10 days after his election. The ceremony marked the official start of the new pontificate and drew thousands of faithful along with numerous world leaders and royal dignitaries. Following the homaly, the princely couple had the opportunity to greet the Holy Father personally. Earlier, Pope Leo I 14th delighted crowds with his first public walk through the square, echoing the popular tradition of his predecessor, Pope Francis. For only the third time in its history, Monaco’s fire brigade has introduced a new badge presented during a ceremony at the Condomine Relief Center on May the 19th. Validated by his serene highness Prince Albert II, the design reflects Monaco’s identity and the fire brigade’s proud heritage. Red and white, the national colors feature prominently alongside axes, flames, and the motto courage, dedication, sacrifice. The princely crown and the monogram of Prince Albert I who founded the corpses in 1909 also appear. The badge symbolizes unity, pride, and the brigade’s deep connection to Monaco’s history. Monaco announced the launch of its first ever cycling academy on May the 21st, further reinforcing the principality’s growing commitment to the sport. Unveiled at the yacht club de Monaco in the presence of his serene highness Prince Albert II, the academy will be named after Prince Albert I and aims to nurture young cycling talent, male and female, while promoting clean sport and sustainability. The announcement coincides with Monaco’s preparation to host the Grand Depar of the Vela Espa in 2026. Following previous collaborations with the Tour de France with worldclass infrastructure and an elite environment, the academy hopes to become a global benchmark for youth development in the sport. Monaco’s commitment to cycling now rides confidently toward a new chapter. The annual pre- Grand Prix charity football match returned to Stard Louie II on the 21st of May under a new name, the Racing Stars Football Cup. This year’s match saw Formula 1 drivers face off against the celebritystudded Barbaduans of Monaco, raising funds for the Jules Bianke and Bisay associations. His Serene Highness Prince Albert II and her Serene Highness Princess Stephanie attended the event, joining Charles Lllair and Mika Hecen to take part in the ceremonial kickoff. Players included legends like Bonucci, Sebastian Frey, and Ludovic Julie with MMA fighters bolstering the defense. The atmosphere was light-hearted but meaningful, reinforcing Monaco’s sporting and charitable spirit. Ultimately, the Barbara Jans claimed victory, beating their opponent six goals to four. The event set in the picturesque principality continues to blend elite sport, entertainment, and philanthropy, offering unforgettable moments for participants and fans alike. Next up, our exclusive interview with the personalities making the principality. My name is Ombberto Rea. I’m the owner and CEO of Reva Sports Management. I grew up in Italy in the countryside next to Turin. I left Italy at 20. I lived then 5 years in Los Angeles. I then um lived in London. Now it’s been 5 years that I’m uh very happily Monaco resident. When I came back to Europe after the the experience in um in Los Angeles, I decided that it was the time and I wanted to start this profession. So uh what you have to do is to uh get a license what is uh commonly called the FIFA license. Once I had the license it was time for me to start. That comes the interesting part in the sense that most of the people when they hear what I do they always ask almost always ask how did you start? I remember actually when I took the license and I told my family that I this is what I wanted to do that I really wanted to focus on this job. I remember that they told me my father told me at the time I know a lot of people but you chose one profession where I cannot introduce you to anyone. Basically the first transaction that I did in football it was to participate in the sale of a football club of a whole football club in England a very historic and and and famous one from there obviously uh it was it was an important start let’s say but by doing these deals I then saw that what I really like was to work with the players negotiate and organize the the transfers and the movements from one club to another and to assist them in the in the negotiation of the contract to know that you’ve been you’re part of realizing their dreams and getting to you to reach their goals both uh sport goals and financial goals. So that’s a very important part that is one of the most uh difficult thing of the job is to really get the trust and the entry let’s say in the clubs afterwards once you’re inside if you have very good work ethics if you have very good contacts obviously if you work well with your clients it’s easier to remain let’s say in the business but breaking in is the difficult part I’ve worked in the past with ice so my job is very cyclic sometimes so sometimes I have two or three players in one specific teams and then maybe for a couple of years and I don’t work with that team again. I’ve worked obviously in the past with Monaco which is a club as I said that I always look with a special regard. I have clients based everywhere. The league where I work the most Italy, France, England and Portugal but my clients are based a bit everywhere and club wise obviously I have contacts with all the clubs in Europe. So when working with with young players obviously uh I have my scouts that do the this job because it’s it’s a complete different job. I perform better when I deal with already let’s say established professional first team players. So my focus is there then it can happen that all the connection that now I have there are some exception but they’re really really a few gems let’s say that I that I can focus otherwise I leave the let’s say the the work with the young players to the agents that focused on that. My core business is really to work on the transfers and on the negotiation of the contracts. But it’s true that what I try to do is to offer a really comprehensive service. Let’s say uh for the players. We’re talking about a career that will have them earn a lot of money. So a very important amount of money for 10 15 years and then this influx of money will abruptly stop one day from one day to another. Then as I said there are players that prefer to deal with some things on their own of they have already their professionals but for a lot and it’s growing the number of players that they ask us to really take care of of everything for them. So the football industry uh since I I got involved since I started working in it has seen an incredible growth because it’s been year after year the clubs had bigger budget the TV rights apart from a couple of specific cases but they they always grew. There’s more and more games being played as well. Obviously all the leagues and the FIFA they’re trying to maximize the input of the TV rights. So almost every new competitions and and a lot of games played is causing a bit of a strain on the players. This is another aspect that will need to be regulated. But for the moment, football keep seeing an increase in their product uh which seems to go higher every year. I had the pleasure to come to Monaco a lot since I was a kid because my parents had an apartment here. We used to come a lot in the spring and in the summer for for weekends. So I’ve always loved Monaco. I always loved the the feeling here. I remember coming since really since I was a kid and always feeling feeling great here. So I always had a connection with Monaco and I always had in mind that once the time was ready that I wanted to come back and live here. So my company started having a good structure. I was doing important deals started to do important deals every year. So I decided that it was the moment to come uh live in Monaco which is a place again that I always loved and I loved more every year uh because it’s growing, it’s changing. I believe in a great direction every year. So it’s improving every year. Honestly, it’s always been very focused on sport and and on the business behind sport. So, it’s a place where you can meet a lot of interesting people all the time. I really really love the the vibe and the and the feeling here. A resident here for 5 years now. My company as well has been based here and I plan on on on staying here because I think it’s an amazing place to really mix your personal life and your professional life. So to have a fantastic uh personal life and enjoy all Monaco has to offer and also take advantage of all the uh the economic uh uh and professional uh connections that you can do. That’s all for today. Thank you for watching news.MC, your English rendevous on Monaco info. Discover the full interview and more stories on our websites news.MC and monoinfo.com. Next week we will receive Enriquea Sugong, president of Laclinique de Monte Carlo. This show is intended to provide a summary of the past week’s top stories for the English-speaking audience. For daily and realtime news updates in English, please visit news.mc and subscribe to our free daily newsletter. For French news, visit monounfo.com. This show was brought to you by Monaco Legend Properties.