Prince Albert II received Monaco-Matin at length in his ceremonial office to decipher Monegasque national news. The Prince thus returned to the absence of an ice rink for two years on Port Hercule, or even the design of the Louis-II stadium and the spectacle offered by the professional teams of AS Monaco this season.
Is the future of Stade Louis-II now defined?
Yes, the main directions of its restructuring have been decided. Beyond the necessary technical renovations required by the age of the building, it is a question of renewing the important components of sports equipment and putting them in order, adapting them to needs. The building must also be in line with energy policies and could perhaps be connected to another thalassothermal loop. The goal is also to create a multi-sports gymnasium to host federal or national level competitions depending on the discipline. The creation of sports spaces in the Principality is always problematic, it is necessary to find the grounds to accommodate the multiple needs and requirements of each person.
“Studies in progress for a basketball hall at the Moneghetti”
Is it still planned to create a basketball hall at Moneghetti?
Studies are still underway to have adequate arbitration elements. If we want to position a new basketball hall there, we must review the project that was originally envisaged.
AS Monaco basketball and football play the leading roles this season, do you, the spectator, enjoy watching them play?
Of course ! I’m going to basketball this Sunday, it’s the first time I’ll be able to go this season. The Roca Team is having a very good start to the season, a little more hesitant in the Euroleague but I think we will reach our cruising speed quite quickly, with extraordinary players. On the football side, I think we started very well, even if we are not in European competition through our fault at the end of last season. But we are lucky to be in the three or four best teams in France.
“The energy requirements are enormous for an ice rink”
The absence of an ice rink creates a stir among amateurs and athletes. More broadly, Monegasque youth regret the absence of leisure activities: bowling, cinema, etc.
First of all, leisure offers are not completely absent for young people in the Principality.
I regret bowling, it’s true. We still have the ambition to install one at the ZAC Saint-Antoine. For the ice rink, I also regret it, but the projects were not reasonable, the energy requirements are enormous for an ice rink. For a former ice sport athlete that I am, it’s a bit of a difficult decision, but for the moment there is no lasting solution. This demonstrates the limit of what can be done in a small territory.
