Teddy Riner, the most famous judoka in French history, has announced that he wants to become the country's next president. The 37-year-old multiple Olympic champion revealed his candidacy on social media on Monday, adding an improbable new name to an already crowded race.
Riner, who is consistently ranked among France's favorite public figures, told Le Parisien newspaper in an interview that he is positioning himself as "neither right-wing nor left-wing." He said he hopes to become a "president who brings people together" and described his economic views as liberal.
Asked whether his candidacy should be taken seriously, Riner pushed back. He said "what would be irresponsible would be to remain silent and stand by as a spectator to what is happening in our country, and what has been happening for several years now."
The presidential election is due to be held next year, and the campaign is unfolding in a tense social climate. Protest marches have drawn huge crowds for weeks in Paris and across France, with demonstrators demanding higher wages and backing the country's student protest movement, piling fresh pressure on the beleaguered government.
Riner said he is aware of the tensions running through the country and cannot accept that young people and older generations alike struggle to imagine a future for themselves. "I hear the anger, which some people echo in their rhetoric with a great deal of negativity, coming from people who no longer have any ambition or the desire to think big," he said. "Yet France is a great country. It has allowed me to become the person I am today and given me the opportunity to dream big. Today, that is precisely what is missing. There is no longer that ambition, no longer that hope."
The 2.04-meter (6-foot-8) heavyweight, an 11-time world champion, said in September that he wants to close out his career with a fourth individual Olympic gold medal at the Los Angeles Games in 2028. Asked by Le Parisien whether the presidential bid means abandoning that goal, he said it does not. "Not if my duties as president allow it and the French people give me their blessing," he said.
Riner has already felt the sharp edge of politics. French authorities said in September that they investigated online racial abuse targeting him after he voiced concern about the rise of the far right. In an interview with the sports television show Stade 2, Riner said he was "freaked out" by rising extremism, and when asked if he meant on both sides, he replied, "the far right."
Opinion polls currently show nationalist leader Marine Le Pen as the front-runner to succeed Emmanuel Macron, ahead of hard-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon. The field also includes two former prime ministers who served under Macron, along with candidates from the moderate left and right, the Greens and the conservatives. "The country is experiencing deep divisions right now, let's not kid ourselves," Riner said. "And in the face of that, I don't see a single candidate putting forward a credible and fair vision capable of bringing the French people together rather than dividing them.. I'm running for president to show that we can get France back on its feet. We are capable of achieving great things together."
To appear on the ballot, Riner must collect 500 sponsorship signatures from elected officials, as French law requires. On the international stage, he said his first priority would be ensuring France works well with its allies and commands greater respect. Laughing, he added: "A lot of people around me have been talking about my first handshake with Donald Trump. We'll see who has the firmer handshake."
