Five-time Olympic judo champion Teddy Riner has announced he will run in France's presidential election in 2027, in one of the most surprising entries yet into the race to succeed Emmanuel Macron. The 37-year-old revealed his candidacy on Monday 9 November in a video posted on his social media accounts and in an interview with the newspaper Le Parisien.

"My name is Teddy Riner, and today I am telling you face to face: I am a candidate in the 2027 presidential election," he said in the video, speaking directly to camera. Riner, who was born in Guadeloupe and has never held elected office, said he wanted to be a president who brings people together, presenting himself as neither left-wing nor right-wing.

A champion steps into politics

Riner is one of France's best-known sports figures. He has won five Olympic judo titles and 11 world championships, making him the most decorated judoka in the sport's history. His announcement came under the campaign slogan La France qu'on veut — the France we want — and he pledged to work alongside voters and in their interests to rebuild the country, rather than govern from above.

He acknowledged the doubts his candidacy will attract. "I know what people will say about me: 'He's crazy. He's never done politics,'" he said. "If not putting my head down and accepting the chaos makes me a crazy person, then yes, I am completely crazy."

Riner told Le Parisien that the idea dated back to the Paris Olympics, when he watched the country unite and then divide again within weeks. He said the decision to stand was driven by concern about the direction France is taking and by a wish to prevent an extreme-right victory in the election.

Macron welcomes the surprise bid

President Emmanuel Macron, who cannot seek a third consecutive term under the constitution, welcomed Riner's entry into the race on Monday evening. "I am very pleased that someone like Teddy Riner, who is a great champion, has decided to get involved in this presidential debate and to contribute his convictions, his ideas, and his talent, this can only benefit the country," Macron said on the France 5 television programme C à vous.

The election is due to be held in two rounds, on 18 April and 2 May 2027. Early polling puts Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally, in front, ahead of hard-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon. Riner enters a crowded and polarised field in which the political centre has been squeezed.

The 500-signature hurdle

Before a single voter can choose him, Riner must clear a formal barrier that has ended many outsider campaigns. French law requires every presidential candidate to collect 500 sponsorships from elected officials, drawn from at least 30 departments or overseas territories. The collection period opens when voters are formally convened, on 7 February 2027, and closes on 12 March 2027.

Analysts quoted in French media cautioned that Riner's huge popularity may not translate directly into votes, because his policy platform is still largely a blank slate. His team says an expert-drafted programme is already complete, but he will be judged in the coming months on the detail behind the slogan.

Sporting career not over

Riner also made clear that he does not see his sporting career as finished. He told Le Parisien that he still hopes to compete at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, "if the office allows me and if the French allow me."

Whether the judoka can turn sporting fame into political support will be tested first by the signature hunt, and then by voters in the spring. For now, his announcement has redrawn the early shape of a presidential race that was already set to be one of the most open in modern French history.