Olympic judo champion Teddy Riner joins race for French presidency
France's five-time Olympic judo champion Teddy Riner announced on Monday that he would run in next year's presidential election, expressing concern particularly over "the rise of the far right."
Five-time Olympic judo champion Teddy Riner announced on Monday that he is a candidate in the 2027 presidential election. According to Euronews, Riner told Le Parisien that he is neither left nor right-wing but aspires to be a candidate of unity. Yahoo Sports reports his campaign intends to "show that we can turn France around" using the slogan "The France we want."
Riner expressed concern regarding the rise of the far right, and Malay Mail notes that far-right candidate Marine Le Pen is currently leading in the polls to replace centrist President Emmanuel Macron.
The 37-year-old stated in a video on X that France needs common sense and goodness rather than professional politicians who bicker. Euronews reports that Riner does not intend to end his sporting career and hopes to participate in the 2028 LA Olympics if the public allows. While he has no prior political career or connections, Riner stated he wants to participate because he does not want to watch the country burn.
Riner's athletic achievements include five Olympic gold medals and 11 world titles, according to Malay Mail. Yahoo Sports notes he was born in Guadeloupe and grew up in Paris.
Brief written by urgent.news from RFI English, The Local France, Euronews, Malay Mail, Yahoo Sports — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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