Five-time Olympic judo champion Teddy Riner rejected any political ties to French President Emmanuel Macron on November 14, describing presidential congratulatory remarks as a poisoned kiss following his entry into the 2027 presidential race, euronews reported.
“I am not the president’s envoy,” Riner said after spending nearly four hours touring booths at the Made in France exhibition in Paris, surrounded by cameras and photographers.
“I don’t come from any political family (…) I come with my own ideas, my own ambitions,” Riner told euronews.
Emmanuel Macron said that he is very happy with the candidacy, which in his view can only bring something to the country, especially since no centrist block candidate currently finds grace in the eyes of the President of the Republic.
The 37-year-old athlete said that France belongs neither to the right nor the left, positioning himself outside traditional party lines as dozens of declared candidates eye the upcoming presidential vote.
This “neither right nor left” stance prompted political commentators and opponents to portray him as a potential successor to the centrist head of state, drawing warm praise from Macron himself.
Campaign complications emerged alongside his political launch, as financial authorities demanded more than 244,000 euros from a real estate company linked to the athlete, according to L’Equipe.
A Versailles administrative appeals court ruled against Riner in early November regarding a luxury car rental business tied to his commercial ventures, though Riner insisted to reporters that he has always paid his taxes.
Another historical macronist, François Braun, who served as Minister of Health from 2022 to 2023, has already kept his distance from the campaign.
An Odoxa survey conducted for Winamax and RTL indicated that Riner’s popularity dropped by 11 points compared to a previous poll from May 2023, though favorable opinions remained high at approximately 78 percent.
While roughly two-thirds of respondents viewed the judoka as close to the people, 61 percent considered his presidential run negative for French politics, and 57 percent opposed the idea of him maintaining a dual career as president and competitor at the 2028 Olympic Games.
Riner joined a crowded field that reached 37 declared contenders by November 15, spanning the political spectrum from the far-left to the far-right alongside independent figures.
Candidates must secure at least 500 endorsements from elected officials before the Constitutional Council closes its filing period on March 18, ahead of the first round of voting scheduled for April 18, 2027.
