“Luckily I will be in the next elections”: when Teddy Riner talked about his presidential candidacy on television

In an interview with Le Parisien then in a video posted on his Instagram account, Teddy Riner announced his candidacy for the 2027 presidential election. A surprising announcement from the five-time Olympic judo champion but not that surprising. Indeed, the 37-year-old judoka has never hidden his political ambitions and has often expressed them on television sets.

On September 22, Teddy Riner was on “C à vous” on France 5. Alongside Grand Corps Malade, the athlete spoke of his “anxiety” in the face of the rise of the far right. “I am a father who worries about the future of his two children,” he began. Born at the end of the 80s, Teddy Riner recounted his childhood memories spent in the Chapelle district of Paris. “I have not known a France like that, I have known a France where we are united, where we are united in difficulty”, he explained, lamenting: “Today, they are trying to divide us, we are trying to create this climate which is unstable, which is unknown to me”.

Enough to consider getting into politics. “Yes, as soon as there is a red line, I will be heard. Yes, this year is important because it is a time when we have already exceeded our limits. And at some point, if we let this happen, what will we leave for our children tomorrow? I don’t like it and I want to move, I want that to change because I want us to have this France that I knew, where I grew up, where we have this living together that is there,” he added. And to conclude: “I say it again in front of the cameras, I am a citizen above all, even if I am an athlete, I have my say and if it bothers someone write it down, continue but know that everything that is racist, there are lawyers for that”.

On February 24, 2024, Teddy Riner accepted Léa Salamé’s invitation to speak, in “What a time!” on France 2, from the Paris Olympic Games. He took the opportunity to point out the absence of sporting culture in France, particularly in schools. “You know very well how politics in France are. Fortunately I will be in the next elections,” he joked while looking at the camera. “In any case, we all know it, you will be Minister of Sports, everyone knows it,” reacted the journalist and presenter.