A Formula 1TM victory, an Olympic flame, national teams celebrating success: sport’s most memorable images dominate our news. But when ministers gather in Monaco on Wednesday 4 November, their attention will turn to a responsibility that begins long before an athlete reaches the podium.
How can sport become safer and healthier for every child?
That question will guide the 19th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Sport at the Grimaldi Forum. Under the theme “A safer and healthier sport for all children”, the international gathering will place young people’s wellbeing at the centre of discussions about sport’s future.
For our Principality whose sporting identity stretches from school playgrounds to Olympic competition, it is an opportunity to connect international ambition with a deeply personal commitment.
Two Olympians, One Shared Commitment
H.S.H. Prince Albert II will deliver the opening address in the morning, while H.S.H. Princess Charlène will introduce the afternoon session.
Both have experienced the demands of elite competition as Olympians. Their participation brings that experience to a conversation about the environments in which children discover sport, develop confidence and learn to compete.
The occasion will also allow the Princely Couple to highlight their commitments to physical activity, wellbeing and the development of children and young athletes.
The challenge reaches beyond encouraging participation. Sport’s educational promise depends on the experience it offers: whether young people feel supported, whether ambition is matched by care, and whether the pursuit of excellence helps them flourish.
Monaco’s Sporting Story, in Fifteen Photographs
While the ministerial discussions will take place behind closed doors, a public photographic exhibition on the forecourt of the Grimaldi Forum will bring the conference’s themes into the open.
Fifteen photographs will explore the breadth of Monaco’s sporting life, combining internationally recognised achievements with the everyday activities through which sporting values take root.
Among them will be an image of Prince Albert II and Princess Charlène carrying the Olympic flame together on the Place du Palais during its passage through Monaco in 2024. That visit was the flame’s second to the Principality, following its first in 1968.
Other photographs will recall Charles Leclerc’s historic victory at the 2024 Monaco Grand PrixTM, the recent passage of La Vuelta through the Principality, and Monaco’s Davis Cup victory over Finland in September.
Alongside those headline moments, the exhibition will celebrate school and amateur sport, initiatives promoting inclusion, and the transmission of sporting values to younger generations. Together, the images will tell a story that extends well beyond professional competition.
A Small State with a Wider Ambition
For Prince Albert II, President of the Monegasque Olympic Committee, Monaco’s size places no limit on its contribution.
“A city-state can be a global reference for ethical, sustainable, open and committed sport,” the Sovereign says.
Princess Charlène, Vice-President of the Committee, expresses the human responsibility behind that ambition: “Sport carries within it an imperative of excellence, but also a responsibility: to bring people together, inspire and pass on values.”
Those ideas give the conference a purpose that reaches beyond its meeting rooms. Sporting success can inspire a child to take the first step onto a court, track or playing field. Ensuring that the experience is safe, healthy and rewarding is what gives that inspiration lasting value.
