# Olympic judo star Teddy Riner runs for French president

> The five-time gold medallist announces a bid for the April 2027 election as France reels from months of violent protests over education and cost of living.
- Title: Olympic judo star Teddy Riner runs for French president · TIME
- Summary: The five-time gold medallist announces a bid for the April 2027 election as France reels from months of violent protests over education and cost of living.
- Keywords: teddy riner, french presidential election, judo, france protests, emmanuel macron, marine le pen, political outsider, TIME
- Source: TIME — https://time.com/article/2026/11/11/meet-teddy-riner-olympian-running-for-french-president
- Author: Callum Sutherland
- Published: 2026-11-11T19:00:16+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: teddy riner, french presidential election, judo, france protests, emmanuel macron, marine le pen, political outsider
## Olympian announces presidential bid
Teddy Riner, a celebrated judo star, announced Monday his intention to run in France's April 2027 presidential election. The five-time Olympic gold medallist said he is stepping up to take responsibility.

> The time has come to step up and take responsibility.
## France gripped by violent unrest
Protests began when students blockaded high schools demanding education reform. The unrest escalated into nationwide demonstrations over cost-of-living pressures. Buildings and vehicles were set alight. At least five thousand people have been arrested.
## Riner positions himself as outsider
Riner said France needs common sense and firmness, not a professional politician. He positioned himself as the person to bring the country out of turmoil, emphasizing his willingness to fight and get back up.

> France does not need a professional politician who recites lessons and quarrels all day long.
## High bar for candidacy
Riner must secure signatures from five hundred elected representatives across at least thirty different Departments or Overseas Territories.
## Macron welcomes celebrity candidate
President Emmanuel Macron told France 5 that Riner is a tremendous athlete who has made the country proud. Macron said he supported Riner in competitions and that he is a committed man.
## Crowded field of rivals
Riner faces stiff competition from Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Rally, Jean-Luc Mélenchon of the hard-left France Unbowed party, and centrist candidates Gabriel Attal and Édouard Philippe.
## Riner positions himself as uniter
In an interview with Le Parisien, Riner said he hopes to become a President who unites, distancing himself from aligning solely with left or right.Thibault Muzergues notes this centrist positioning is common in French politics.
## Five Olympic gold medals
Riner made history as the youngest world champion in judo at eighteen years old, winning gold at the two thousand seven World Championships in Rio de Janeiro.
## Precedent for judoka in politics
Olympic champion David Douillet, also a French judoka, became a member of the French National Assembly in two thousand nine and later served as Minister of Sport.
## Host of Netflix reality show
Riner hosts the French adaptation of Netflix's Love is Blind alongside his partner Luthna Plocus.The first season aired in two thousand twenty-five and garnered an estimated one point three million viewers in its first week.
## Expressed concern over far-right
In September, Riner said he was anxious over far-right extremism in France.When asked if he meant both extremes, he clarified: the far right.

> The far right. Let's call a spade a spade.
## Vague on policy details
Riner has condemned violence in protests and expressed hopes for France's youth, but has not unveiled a detailed campaign platform.He has discussed pension reform and anti-racism but has not taken stances on most policy areas.
## Outsider status could be advantage
Macron's popularity rating dipped to fifteen percent in October, with Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu at twenty-two percent.
## Key takeaway

Teddy Riner, a five-time Olympic judo champion with no political experience, announced his candidacy for the French presidency in April 2027 amid nationwide unrest over education and living costs.