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In brief

Meet the Monegasque athletes who will compete in the Beijing Winter Olympics

Monaco Olympic delegation
Gaetan Luci / Prince's Palace

On Tuesday, at the Yacht Club of Monaco, Prince Albert II, President of the Monegasque Olympic Committee, presented  the athletes who will fly the flag for the Principality at the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Beijing (February 4-20). 

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For Monaco’s eleventh consecutive participation in the Olympic Winter Games, three Monegasque athletes have been selected to represent the Principality. They are Rudy Rinaldi (pilot) and Boris Vain (brakeman), who will team up in two-man Bobsleigh, with Anthony Rinaldi (34) as a substitute. Skier Arnaud Alessandria (downhill, super-G and combined) is the third Monegasque competitor. He will also be the delegation’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony scheduled for Friday, February 4 in the Beijing National Stadium.

Olympics with an environmental focus

Already present at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in 2018, Rudy Rinaldi (28) and Boris Vain (28) hope to shine in China, while Arnaud Alessandria (28) will take part in his second Olympics after Sochi in 2014. Prince Albert II was keen to stress the environmental aspect of these Olympic Games, “with the repurposing of venues in five of the six sites from the 2008 Summer Games to host the winter competitions, such as the Water Cube becoming the Ice Cube for the curling fixtures.”

The Sovereign welcomed all these environmentally conscious initiatives. “In my capacity as an IOC member, but especially as President of the IOC’s Environment and Heritage Commission, I am delighted to see the efforts made in terms of reforestation, use of renewable and recyclable materials in building infrastructure, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and innovative and responsible use of energy.”

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