Judo legend Teddy Riner joins fight for French presidency

PARIS (AFP) — France’s five-time Olympic judo champion Teddy Riner announced Monday that he would run in next year’s presidential election, after expressing concern about the “rise of the far right.”

“My name is Teddy Riner and today, I am telling you face to face: I am a candidate in the 2027 presidential election,” the 37-year-old said in a surprise announcement on social media.

Riner, one of the greatest judokas in history, said in a video that he feared France could soon become deeply divided, appearing to cast himself as a candidate for voters unwilling to choose between two political extremes — the far right and the far left.

Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen is leading in the polls to replace centrist President Emmanuel Macron next year, with hard-left firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon in second place.

“Today we live alongside one another,” said Riner, who comes from the French overseas territory of Guadeloupe. “I fear that tomorrow we’ll be living in confrontation.”

‘Fighting has always been part of who I am’

Riner, among France’s best-known sports figures, has publicly said he was very worried about the “rise of the far right.”

Le Pen has benefited from one of the most fractured political landscapes in modern French history, with a crowded field of candidates competing for support.

Infighting among centrists has increased the likelihood of a second-round runoff between Le Pen and Melenchon.

Amid rampant recent violent riots, Riner voiced concern about a France that is “collapsing under the weight of debt” and said he was troubled to see “a father or mother gritting their teeth while filling a shopping trolley.”

He lamented that “state authority has disappeared” in the face of “thugs.”

Riner, who is Black, also criticized excessive bureaucracy and a system where he said “a young person’s future can be destroyed simply because they don’t have the right network, the right name or the right skin color.”

“I will not be among those who watch the country burn while making excuses,” he added, sitting in front of a bookcase and wearing a white shirt and dark jacket.

“Fighting has always been part of who I am. I know what it means to struggle, to fall, to always get back up.”

No political experience

He acknowledged that some people would dismiss his candidacy.

“I know what people are going to say about me: ‘He’s crazy. He’s not from the establishment. He doesn’t have the codes. He’s never done politics,'” he added. “If refusing to bow my head and refusing chaos makes me crazy, then yes, I’m completely crazy.”

Macron welcomed Riner’s surprise bid, saying he was pleased the “great champion” decided to “join this presidential debate and contribute his convictions, his ideas and his talent; this can only benefit the country.”

Dani Podgoretskaya, an analyst at Eurasia Group, said Riner addressed “the right pain points” but that she did not see him as a serious contender.

“The French take the presidential election very seriously, given how much power the office holds. He has no experience in elected office, no party and no detailed program yet,” she said.

“While I still find it possible that we may yet see a providential figure emerge who unites the anti-populist vote, I doubt that Riner is that figure.”

2028 Olympics bid

Erwan Lestrohan of polling firm Odoxa said that while no candidate was generating broad enthusiasm among French voters, Riner’s popularity would not necessarily translate into electoral support.

“He’s starting from zero in terms of political credibility,” Lestrohan said.

In an interview with Le Parisien, Riner said he intended to continue his sports career.

If elected president, he said he planned to compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, “if the position allows me to, and if the French people allow me to.”

Riner said he intended to launch his campaign quickly, with financing coming from donations as well as his own funds.

Riner won the heavyweight division at the 2012, 2016 and 2024 Olympics — as well as bronze in 2008 and 2020 — and mixed team gold at the 2020 and 2024 Games.

He has also won 11 world titles.

Riner famously went undefeated for nearly a decade, winning 154 straight bouts between October 2010 and February 2020. He has suffered only two losses since 2010 and is still an active athlete, currently on a 46-match winning streak.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.