Sports
The
Principality, the crossroads of the world of sport with its world-renowned
events - the Monte-Carlo Rally, the Grand Prix, the International
Tennis matches and so on - is also a think-tank for the official
bodies which govern sports ...
Towards
the end of the nineteenth century there was already in existence
in the Principality a "Regatta Committee" which was
replaced in 1888, on the initiative of a group of a dozen Monégasques,
by a sports association established to promote, encourage and
develop water-borne sports such as sailing and rowing. The first
Monégasque sports association was formed under the name
of the "Société des Régates de Monaco"
which is today the "Société Nautique".
In
addition, the Principality of Monaco, rejoicing and full of euphoria
as a result of the extraordinary success of the new town of Monte
Carlo and banking on the future with confidence, gave its support
to the still embryonic motorized sports :
1877,
the Tennis Master Series had their debut in Monte-Carlo, being
now one of the most important international Tennis events.
1904,
the first speedboat meeting;
1910,
the take-off from the Quai Antoine I of a biplane, as fragile
as a child's toy, but at the controls of which Henri Rougier was
to realize the exploit of flying over the nearest spurs of the
Alpes-Maritimes;
1913,
the first "hydro-aeroplane" meeting (ancestor of the
seaplane). Similarly, other sports including golf (with the opening
in 1910 of the first course on the slopes of Mont Agel), tennis,
fencing, shooting, boxing, football and athletics all took wing
and on the eve of the 1914-1918 war, the sporting activities of
the Principality were already exemplary and were to continue :
1928,
opening of the Monte Carlo Country Club and Monte Carlo Beach
with its Olympic-standard swimming-pool;
1929,
the first automobile Grand Prize race;
1939,
the inauguration, by Prince Louis II, of the stadium which bears
his name and which was immediately used to stage the last University
World Games before the Second World War.
With
the Liberation, sport came into its own again. Its development
in all fields was at lightning pace and from then on Monaco possessed
a range of sports clubs and federations recognised by international
bodies.
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