Teddy Riner, the five-time Olympic judo champion and one of the most famous sports stars in France, has announced that he will run for president of France in the 2027 election. Riner made the announcement on Monday, November 9, 2026, in a video posted on social media and in an interview with the French newspaper Le Parisien. In the video he spoke directly to the camera and said, “My name is Teddy Riner and today, I am telling you face to face: I am a candidate in the 2027 presidential election.” The announcement puts one of the biggest names in French sport into one of the most open presidential races France has seen in years, because the current president, Emmanuel Macron, cannot run for a third term in a row.
Quick Facts
| Detail | What happened |
|---|---|
| Candidate | Teddy Riner, 37, five-time Olympic judo champion |
| Announcement date | Monday, November 9, 2026 |
| How it was announced | Video on social media and an interview with Le Parisien |
| Election date | April 18, 2027, with a second round on May 2 if needed |
| Campaign slogan | “La France qu’on veut”, meaning “The France we want” |
| Political position | Describes himself as “neither right-wing nor left-wing” |
| Key hurdle | Must secure 500 sponsorships from elected officials |
| Sporting record | Individual Olympic gold in 2012, 2016 and 2024, plus mixed team gold in 2020 and 2024 |
| World titles | 11-time world champion |
| Current president | Emmanuel Macron, in office since 2017, cannot seek a third consecutive term |
The announcement that surprised France
Teddy Riner did not ease into the news. He chose a short video message, posted on social media on Monday morning, and spoke straight to the public. “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 French he put it as, “Je suis candidat a l’election presidentielle de 2027.” The words were simple and direct, and they left no room for doubt about what he meant.
The same day, Le Parisien published an interview with him. The newspaper reported that the decision dates back to the Paris Olympics and was taken after careful consideration, so this was not a sudden idea.
For most French people, Riner is a household name, and the news spread across social media within minutes. By the afternoon, it was one of the biggest stories in France.
The timing also matters. The first round is scheduled for April 18, 2027, with a second round on May 2 if no candidate wins a majority. That gives Riner around five months to build a campaign from almost nothing. He has no party machine behind him and no elected office on his record, but he has fame and trust built over a long sporting career.
From the judo mat to the campaign trail
Riner is 37 years old and a five-time Olympic judo champion. He won individual gold medals at London 2012, Rio 2016 and Paris 2024, and mixed team gold at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. On top of that, he is an 11-time world champion, a record that puts him among the greatest judokas the sport has ever seen.
His finest moment at home came at Paris 2024, when he co-lit the Olympic cauldron with sprinter Marie-Jose Perec. For many people in France, Riner is not just a champion. He is a symbol of French success, discipline and calm under pressure.
That reputation is the foundation of his campaign. In politics, he is now asking voters to trust those same qualities in a very different setting. French politics has a precedent for athletes entering public life, and judoka David Douillet moved into politics before him, serving as a minister in government.
Riner is also a presenter of Love Is Blind: France, so he is a familiar face on television outside sport too. That wider fame could help him reach voters who do not follow judo. At the same time, fame can open doors, but it does not by itself prove that a person can run a country. Riner will have to show voters that he has ideas, a team and a plan, not just a famous name.
“The France we want” and a message of unity
Riner has given his campaign a slogan: “La France qu’on veut”, which means “The France we want”. It is a simple phrase, and it is deliberately open. It does not point to one policy or one group of voters. Instead, it invites people to imagine the country they would like to live in, and it suggests that Riner wants to build that country with them.
He describes himself as “neither right-wing nor left-wing” and wants to be a “president who brings people together”. He presents himself as a political outsider who can unite a divided country. France is deeply divided, and many voters say they are tired of the usual left against right fights, so a candidate who stands outside that divide can sound fresh and hopeful.
The challenge will be to fill in the details. Unity is a popular promise, but voters will soon want to know what it means in practice: jobs, prices, schools, hospitals, crime and immigration, and how he would pay for his plans. The answers will decide whether his campaign is taken seriously.
The 500-signature hurdle
Before Riner can even appear on the ballot, he faces a practical test that has ended many French presidential hopes. To reach the ballot he must secure 500 sponsorships, known in France as parrainages, from elected officials. These sponsorships must come from mayors, members of parliament, local councillors and other elected office holders across the country. The rule exists to make sure that only serious candidates with real support across France can stand.
For a candidate with no party, this is a hard task. The established parties have networks of elected officials who can provide signatures, while an outsider has to build that network from scratch. Riner will need to persuade 500 elected people, spread across different regions, to put their names behind his candidacy.
If Riner reaches 500 signatures, it will prove that he has built a genuine organisation. If he falls short, his campaign will end before a single vote is cast.
The race he is entering
The 2027 French presidential election is already shaping up to be one of the most open in modern French history. Emmanuel Macron has been president since 2017 and cannot seek a third consecutive term, so the race has no sitting president defending the job. That alone makes it different from the last two elections, and it has opened the field to a wide range of candidates.
Reports say far-right candidate Marine Le Pen is leading in the polls to succeed Macron. Le Pen has run for president before and has a large, loyal base of support. She will be a strong contender, and any candidate who wants to reach the second round will have to find a way past her. Into this crowded race now steps a man with no political record at all. That is both his strength and his weakness: he carries none of the blame for past governments, but he has no record to point to when voters ask what he has actually done in public life.
The next few months will show whether French voters are ready for a president from outside politics. Riner is betting that a country looking for unity will choose a unifier over a career politician.
What about Los Angeles 2028
One of the biggest questions after the announcement concerns Riner’s sporting future. He missed last month’s World Championships in Baku because of a shoulder injury. In September he said he wants to end his career with a fourth individual Olympic gold at the Los Angeles Games in 2028.
Le Parisien asked him whether the presidential bid rules out trying to make Los Angeles 2028, and his Olympic future is now uncertain. Running for president and preparing for an Olympic Games are both full time jobs, and doing both at the same time would be extremely hard, even for an athlete of Riner’s discipline.
Whatever happens next, the announcement has already changed the story of the 2027 election. A race that was expected to be a contest between familiar political names now includes one of the most famous French sports stars of all time. Readers following other major stories can catch up on Lando Norris winning the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, on the ANC recording its worst result in South African local elections, and on King Charles leading Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph.
FAQs
When did Teddy Riner announce his presidential bid
On Monday, November 9, 2026, in a video posted on social media and in an interview with Le Parisien. In the video he said, “My name is Teddy Riner and today, I am telling you face to face: I am a candidate in the 2027 presidential election.”
When is the French presidential election in 2027
The first round is scheduled for April 18, 2027. If no candidate wins a majority, a second round will be held on May 2, 2027. Emmanuel Macron has been president since 2017 and cannot seek a third consecutive term.
What is Teddy Riner’s campaign slogan
His campaign slogan is “La France qu’on veut”, which means “The France we want”. Riner describes himself as “neither right-wing nor left-wing” and says he wants to be a “president who brings people together”. He presents himself as a political outsider who can unite a divided country.
What must Teddy Riner do to appear on the ballot
Riner must secure 500 sponsorships, known as parrainages, from elected officials across France. It will be an early test of whether his campaign has built a real organisation with support in different regions.
Sources
Final Thoughts
Teddy Riner has taken one of the boldest steps of his life, moving from the judo mat to the race for the French presidency. His announcement on November 9, 2026, gives France a candidate unlike any other in the field, a five-time Olympic champion with a message of unity and a slogan that asks voters to imagine the France they want. The road ahead is hard, and the 500 signatures he needs will be the first real test of whether his campaign can become a serious force. The election is still five months away, but one thing is already clear. The 2027 race will be more open and more closely watched because Teddy Riner is in it.
