Rather than a detailed platform, Riner pointed to broader issues. In a video posted on social media, he took up the criticism that he had never done politics, saying, “He’s never done politics.”.
He joins a crowded field. Analysts have described him as a long shot, citing his lack of experience and the absence of party backing.
“He has no experience in elected office, no party and no detailed programme yet,” one commentator told Agence France-Presse.
Riner, one of France’s most recognisable and popular athletes, said he was running for president and began preparing to collect the 500 sponsorship signatures from elected officials that French law requires. In an interview with Le Parisien published that day, he described his views as neither rightwing nor leftwing and said he wanted to be a president who brings people together.