A candidacy above the left-right divide

Five-time Olympic judo champion Teddy Riner declared "I am a candidate in the 2027 presidential election" in a surprise social media post on Monday, then set out his case in an interview with Le Parisien published the same day.

He placed himself "neither right-wing nor left-wing" and said he hopes to be "president who brings people together". The country, he said, is experiencing deep divisions, and he sees no candidate offering a credible, fair vision capable of uniting the French people. Pressed on whether the bid was serious, Riner said that staying on the sidelines and watching while the country went through its troubles was the truly irresponsible option.

He said France is a great country that allowed him to become the person he is today and to dream big, but that ambition and hope are now missing. He also said he hears the anger of people who no longer have the desire to think big. His stated goal: "I'm running for president to show that we can get France back on its feet".

The political backdrop

Riner enters a race in which far-right candidate Marine Le Pen leads the polls to replace centrist President Emmanuel Macron, with the hard-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon behind her, according to polls. The announcement also comes as protest marches have drawn huge crowds for weeks in Paris and elsewhere across France, demanding higher wages and backing the student protest movement in a mounting pressure on the government.

From the tatami to politics

Riner is among France's best-known sports figures, with a record few athletes can match:

• •Heavyweight gold at the 2012, 2016 and 2024 Olympics, and mixed team gold at the 2020 and 2024 Games.
• •11 world judo titles, making him an 11-time world champion.

He told Le Parisien in September that he wants to end his career with a fourth individual Olympic gold medal at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, and he has not given up on the Olympics - asked about it, he replied: "Not if my duties as president allow it and the French people give me their blessing".

There is a precedent in French politics: fellow judoka David Douillet was elected to parliament in 2009 and served as sports minister from September 2011 to May 2012.

France on the world stage

On foreign policy, Riner said he wants to make sure France works well with its allies and commands greater respect. He joked about a potential first handshake with Donald Trump: "We'll see who has the firmer handshake".

His move into politics follows earlier warnings about extremism. On the TV show Stade 2, Riner said he was "freaked out" by the rise of extremism, and asked whether he meant both sides, he replied: "the far right". In September, French authorities said they investigated online racial abuse aimed at Riner after he expressed concern about the rise of the far right.

Riner's candidacy now stands in a race in which Le Pen leads the polls ahead of an election due next year in 2027.