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First opening games tied as football season starts

MARIGOT—In an unusual start to the new football season Champ of Champs competition on the French side, the first two “curtain raiser” games on Sunday at the Alberic Richards Stadium both finished in draws.
  The U15 match between 2014-2015 champions Juventus against Flamingo and the Seniors match with champions Junior Stars versus President’s Cup winners Attackers both ended in a 2-2 draw.
  Préfète Anne Laubies attended the opening ceremony wishing St. Martin Football Association (SMFA) and players much success for the season before symbolically kicking the ball to initiate the start of the first match between Juventus and Flamingo.
  Opening remarks were also made by SMFA President Fabrice Baly and former Sports Commissioner (2007-2011), Jean-David Richardson, a former player with Black Stars.
  Richardson praised the parents for keeping their children focused on sports when there are so many other distractions, not all healthy, and congratulated the referees, coaches, trainers for their contribution to football.
  Fabrice Baly in his address, said: “My wish for players is to remain respectful and humble; my wish for you is to be proud of your identity and flag/country you are representing; my wish for you is to never give up, to excel and be ambitious, and never to forget that football can make you a better person.
  Lou Baly of the Arbitration Commission noted the 2014-2015 competition had eight teams in the U13 division, eight teams in the U15, five teams in the U17, and six senior teams Read more

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Jacobs chalks up another win for Chalk Dust at Ram contest

MARIGOT--Francis Jacobs continued his record-breaking run of wins at the fifteenth Annual Ram Beauty Contest in Colombier on Sunday with his prized ram Chalk Dust again winning the prestigious Boer category.

Jacobs, who had several winning entries at the show organised by I Love My Ram Association, has produced winners for seven consecutive years.

"I guess I'm just good at looking after my animals," he said modestly. "I put a lot of hours into it."

With more entries in the Boer class than usual, they were divided into three categories Read more

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Hundreds gather at vigil for Charlie Hebdo victims

MARIGOT--The brutal massacre of journalists and cartoonists at the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris on Wednesday has generated an outpouring of sympathy and solidarity amongst the public in French St. Martin.

Such is the power of social media that organisers of a vigil held at Marina Fort Louis at 6:00pm Thursday managed to gather around 400 persons in record time to pay homage to the victims.

Echomag Editor Laurent Fuentes was one of three organisers behind the spontaneous event Read more

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Galisbay Port bidding process ‘legal and fair’

GALISBAY--A bidding process for the restructuring of the Port of Galisbay was legal and fair, managers of the port stated yesterday.

They called the press conference in response to allegations that were made by a company that appeared on a local radio station, claiming that the opportunity to bid had not been published sufficiently in the media in French St. Martin, not offering local companies a good enough chance to compete for the contract, and suggested that a bribe may have been accepted before the contracts were given out.

Only one of the three companies bidding to complete the restructuring was based in French St Read more

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