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French judo superstar Teddy Riner, a five-time Olympic gold medalist and multiple world champion, has announced that he is running for president of France in 2027 in a fiery speech posted on social media.
The athlete,
who has never held political office but is one of France’s most recognizable and popular sporting figures, portrayed himself as a political outsider determined to stand for ordinary French citizens which he feels have been let down.
Riner’s announcement comes at a particularly turbulent moment in France, just five months before a presidential election that has exposed deep divisions across the political spectrum.
The far-right party Rassemblement National is dominating the polls by a wide margin, with Marine Le Pen drawing between 33% and 37% of first-round voting intentions in recent surveys, roughly twice the support of her closest rivals. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who leads the radical-left party La France Insoumise, has been gaining ground and is polling at around 17% to 19%, while the political center remains fragmented, with no candidate emerging to succeed Emmanuel Macron. The country has also been rocked by weeks of mass protests over the soaring cost of living and conditions in schools which escalated into violent riots.
“My name is Teddy Riner, and today I’m telling you straight to your face: I am a candidate in the 2027 presidential election,” he said while facing the camera and sitting at a desk in a presidential-style setting while bookshelves and a tricolor French flag in the background.
“I know what people are going to say about me: ‘He’s crazy,’ ‘He’s not part of the establishment,’ ‘He doesn’t know the rules,’ ‘He’s never been involved in politics.’ But ask yourselves this question: What is really crazy today?”
Riner went on to paint a bleak picture of France, citing growing public debt, economic hardship and a breakdown of law and order.
“Is it crazy to refuse to watch France collapse under the weight of its debt, a little more every day? To see a country so rich pretend that it is poor?” he asked.
Riner criticized what he described as an unfair system that places an excessive burden on working people.
“Is it crazy to reject the hypocrisy of a system where those who get up early, work hard and follow the rules have no choice but to pay for everyone else?”
Macron reacted warmly to Riner’s announcement in an interview with the French broadcaster France 5 welcoming his decision to enter politics and praising his sense of duty. “Teddy Riner is a tremendous athlete who makes our country proud,” Macron said. “I supported him in competitions and as an athlete, and he is a committed man.”
Macron, who cannot seek a third consecutive presidential term in 2027, applauded the prospect of citizens from outside the political establishment taking part in the national debate.
“Political life, the life of the nation, does not belong to professionals,” Macron said, alluding to his own path, as he came into politics a decade ago after working in investment banking at Rothschild. “The life of the nation belongs to women and men who want to give their time, who are ready to commit themselves and fight difficult battles to make our country better. I am very happy that someone like Teddy Riner, who is a great champion, has decided to take part in this presidential debate and bring his convictions, his ideas and his talent,“ Macron continued.
