Judo champion Teddy Riner launches surprise bid for French presidency

Teddy Riner, France's heavyweight judo star, a five-time Olympic champion and 11-time world champion, has announced that he will run in the French presidential election scheduled for next April. The 37-year-old, born in Guadeloupe, has no experience in public office, no party backing him and no programme yet. His entry could shift the balance of forces in a country where centrist politicians are still struggling to find a strong leader.

Video and support

Riner announced his candidacy in a video on Instagram and X. According to the BBC, it has been watched by more than 28 million people, with Instagram alone accounting for 14.5 million views. In a poll by the Ifop research firm carried out within 24 hours, 22% of respondents said they "could" vote for him. So far his slogan is "La France qu'on aime" ("The France we love"), and he has already visited a hospital in the Seine-Saint-Denis suburb in northern Paris.

In the video he described himself as "neither left nor right", promised to "unite the country" and "put money back in people's pockets", and criticised both racists and yobs on the streets. The BBC assesses that he appears closer to the right on the economy and law and order, but is firm on racism.

The political landscape

Observers note that the centre ground is already crowded, with around a dozen candidates from centre-left to centre-right, including Raphaël Glucksmann and the Republicans' Bruno Retailleau. Former prime ministers Édouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal have failed to take off. Hard-right leader Marine Le Pen currently leads the polls, and in the May run-off she could face hard-left figure Jean-Luc Mélenchon.

Mélenchon commented on Riner's decision: "neither right nor left means not left." President Emmanuel Macron called him a "great champion", but Riner rejected any link with the president, saying he is not "the president's envoy".