His Serene Highness Prince Albert II attended the opening ceremony of a European police padel competition on the morning of Wednesday, September 16 at the Théâtre du Fort Antoine, welcoming police forces from ten countries, including Monaco, for the tournament’s inaugural edition.
Organised by Monaco’s Association of Public Security Sports in partnership with the Union Sportive des Polices d’Europe (USPE), the event also marks the 40th anniversary of the Monégasque association, founded in 1986.
The USPE itself has a much longer history, founded in Paris in 1950 at the initiative of the French Police Sports Association, with ten founding member nations, including France, Belgium, Denmark and the United Kingdom. The organisation has grown considerably since then, now bringing together 39 European countries under its umbrella, with a stated mission of promoting sport across the continent’s police forces while fostering social, cooperative and professional ties between officers from different nations. The USPE already organises championships across 16 different sporting disciplines, ranging from athletics and swimming to skiing and cross-country running, and is formally recognised and supported by the International Olympic Committee.
Following the traditional oaths taken by athletes, coaches and referees at Wednesday’s ceremony, a draw determined the tournament’s group stage line-up ahead of competition getting underway.
Matches will take place tomorrow, Thursday, September 17, at Tennis Padel Soleil in Beausoleil, bringing a fresh sporting discipline to the growing calendar of European police competitions.