On Friday 1 May, the Prince and Princess attended the first edition of the Monaco Sevens tournament at the Prince Jacques Stadium in Beausoleil. It was a day of rugby sevens marked by a moving tribute to Christophe Dominici.
As President of the Monegasque Rugby Federation, Princess Charlene performed the ceremonial kick-off for the Elite Men’s tournament alongside Antoine Zeghdar, Olympic judo champion at Paris 2024, patron of the event and ambassador for her Foundation. Gareth Wittstock and motoring influencer GMK were also among the guests.
Prince Albert II, Princess Charlene and their daughter attend Monaco Sainte-Dévote rugby tournament
Divided into two men’s draws (Open and Elite) and one women’s draw, sixteen men’s and women’s teams from Monaco, Italy, Poland, the United Arab Emirates and Georgia competed throughout the day at the Beausoleil ground, in a tournament organised by the Monegasque Rugby Federation and AS Monaco Rugby with the support of the Princess Charlene Foundation. In the women’s competition, the Umusa beat the Italian and Georgian teams but lost to Poland, who won the tournament. In the Open Men’s competition, the FMR team secured the first trophy in its history on home soil, whilst in the Elite Men’s final, the Seventise won 35-14 against UAE Shaheen. The Prince and Princess then presented the trophy to the winners.
Tribute to Christophe Dominici
The highlight of the day was the tribute paid to Christophe Dominici, the legendary French national team winger who passed away in November 2020. His daughters Kiara and Mya presented the trophies for the tournament’s best players, in the presence of their mother Loretta Denaro and Matthieu Lartot, the iconic voice of French rugby broadcasts.
This inaugural edition of the Monaco Sevens reflects Princess Charlene’s commitment to the development of rugby in the Principality. Monaco Rugby Sevens, a professional club with Prince Albert II as its honorary president and the 2022 French champions of the InExtenso SuperSevens, aims to one day represent Monaco at the Olympic Games in this sport.
