French judo champion, Teddy Riner, Monday announced his candidacy for the 2027 presidential election, stating that he wishes to take on his responsibilities in the face of the growing difficulties and divisions he perceives within the country.
In a video announcing his bid, the five-time Olympic champion recalls a warning he says he issued several years ago: “Today, we live side by side. I fear that tomorrow, we may end up living face-to-face (in confrontation).” He believes these words now serve as an alarm that was not sufficiently heeded.
“My name is Teddy Riner, and today, looking you straight in the eye, I am declaring my candidacy for the 2027 presidential election,” he states.
The athlete describes a France currently grappling with fear, resignation, and a sense of abandonment – in its cities, its rural areas, and its neighbourhoods. He specifically points to issues such as insecurity, public debt, the rising cost of living, and the struggles families face in covering their daily expenses.
He also criticises a system in which law-abiding workers feel they are bearing an excessive burden, and highlights the administrative red tape and inequalities that he argues hinder the future prospects of young people.
While acknowledging that he does not come from the political world and is not well-versed in its conventions, Teddy Riner draws upon his experience in competitive sports-an experience rooted in struggle, effort, and hard work. He argues that France does not need career politicians mired in constant squabbling; rather, it needs “common sense, firmness, justice, and a state that sets things right.”
The candidate asserts his intention to pursue his vision alongside the French people and for the entire population, transcending political affiliations and divisions. “The one and only victory that matters is ours – the victory of the French people, all the French people,” he asserts, before concluding with a call to mobilise for “the France we want.”
This announcement comes amid a climate of political and economic tension, marked by the fragmentation of the National Assembly since its dissolution in June 2024. France’s public debt reached 119% of GDP in the second quarter of 2026, while the national statistics institute, INSEE, reported a 0.1% decline in economic activity for the third quarter, an unemployment rate of 8.3% in the second quarter, and an inflation rate of 3.4% in October.
Teddy Riner joins a race for the Elysee Palace that already includes declared aspirants such as Edouard Philippe (Horizons), Gabriel Attal (Renaissance), Bruno Retailleau (Les Republicains), Marine Le Pen (Rassemblement National), Jean-Luc Melenchon (La France Insoumise), Raphael Glucksmann (Place Publique), Fabien Roussel (PCF), and Eric Zemmour (Reconquete), among others.
As of November 8, the “REPÈRES 2027” registry listed 26 declared candidates. These announcements do not yet constitute officially validated candidacies; each hopeful must, among other requirements, secure 500 endorsements from elected officials, drawn from at least 30
different departments or overseas territories.
AC/fss/as/APA