Teddy Riner announced his candidacy for the French presidency on Monday, November 9, stating in a video clip on social media, “What is madness today?”
The 37-year-old judoka joins a crowded field of more than 30 candidates vying to succeed Emmanuel Macron in next spring’s election. Marine Le Pen leads current opinion polls as the clear frontrunner for the far-right, while Jean-Luc Mélenchon has gained ground on the radical left.
“I have not spent my life behind a lectern, but the fight has always been part of me,” Riner said in his announcement video, wearing a blue jacket and white shirt.
Riner campaigns under the banner of reviving France and describes himself as neither left nor right, aiming instead to unite voters amid deep political polarization. President Emmanuel Macron told reporters he was very happy with the decision of the champion athlete, adding that Riner can only contribute to the country.
“The life of the nation does not belong to professionals,” Macron said, echoing themes from Riner’s campaign launch. Riner subsequently distanced himself from the incumbent president during a campaign stop at St. Denis hospital, calling Macron’s public praise a poisoned kiss and insisting he is not an emissary of the administration.
Socialist Party candidate Raphaël Glucksmann criticized the rhetoric, noting that he had heard similar claims of being beyond left and right a decade prior under Macron. National Rally leader Jordan Bardella also dismissed the entry of celebrities into national politics.
Riner launched his movement under the website banner La France qu’on veut, using the acronym LFQV. In interviews with Le Parisien, the six-time Olympian proposed pension reforms and reduced social security contributions alongside measures to tackle inequality in career opportunities.
If he fails to reach the presidency, Riner intends to continue his athletic career and has not ruled out competing at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
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