Rome, 9 Nov. (LaPresse) – Three-time Olympic judo champion Teddy Riner has announced his candidacy for the 2027 French presidential election. “I am standing to show that it is possible to get France back on its feet,” said the French sporting legend, originally from Guadeloupe, positioning himself as “neither right-wing nor left-wing”. “I am not just a judoka. I refuse to be reduced to the role of a champion or an athlete who has to be content with standing on the podium and who would have no say in anything else,” he added in an exclusive interview with Le Parisien. The decision, taken after “careful consideration”, dates back to the Paris Olympics, the athlete revealed. “I saw an entire country come together, proud and happy. I said to myself: what we managed to achieve in fifteen days, we must be able to do for the country,” said Riner.
France: judo champion Teddy Riner stands as a candidate in the presidential election
Rome, 9 Nov. (LaPresse) – Three-time Olympic judo champion Teddy Riner has announced his candidacy for the 2027 French presidential election. “I am standing to show that it is possible to get France back on its feet,” said the French sporting legend, originally from Guadeloupe, positioning himself as “neither right-wing nor left-wing”. “I am not just a judoka. I refuse to be reduced to the role of a champion or an athlete who has to be content with standing on the podium and who would have no say in anything else,” he added in an exclusive interview with Le Parisien. The decision, taken after “careful consideration”, dates back to the Paris Olympics, the athlete revealed. “I saw an entire country come together, proud and happy. I said to myself: what we managed to achieve in fifteen days, we must be able to do for the country,” said Riner.