A moving ceremony took place on Saturday morning at the Louis-II Stadium as Monaco paid tribute to one of its great humanitarians…
A commemorative plaque was unveiled in honour of Mireille Calmes, the beloved founder and long-time president of Special Olympics Monaco, who passed away in 2021.
Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene attended the ceremony alongside numerous representatives of Monaco’s institutions, athletes and volunteers, many of whom credit Mireille Calmes with transforming not only their sporting lives but their place in society.
Speakers recalled her as a woman of immense character and unwavering resolve. “Without Madame Calmes, Monaco would not be where it is today in terms of disability inclusion,” one official told Monaco Info. “She showed us that sport is not charity — it is dignity, confidence and belonging.”
But it was the athletes themselves who delivered the most heartfelt tributes. Several shared personal anecdotes of how “Madame Calme”, as they affectionately called her, encouraged them to compete internationally, pushed them beyond their doubts and treated them not as beneficiaries but as family.
“She always said we were her little ones,” one athlete recalled. “And every time I win a medal, I still dedicate it to her.”
Under her leadership, Monaco’s Special Olympics delegation grew into one of the most admired in Europe, shining recently at the Winter Games in Turin. The next milestone lies ahead, the 2027 World Summer Games in Chile, a journey the athletes say they will take “with Mireille in our hearts”.
A legacy built on courage, tenderness and belief — now permanently engraved, not only in stone, but in Monaco’s soul.
Image: Monaco Info
