The campaign launch comes a little more than five months before the first round, scheduled for April 18, 2027, as contenders are already jostling for position. Catching an opponent off guard can decide a fight: on that ground, Teddy Riner has made a successful entrance. The first obstacle will be concrete. The champion will have to gather the 500 signatures from elected officials that open access to the starting line. These sponsorships must be submitted to the Constitutional Council no later than March 12, 2027, at 6 p.m.
Five-time Olympic judo champion Teddy Riner announced on Monday, November 9, his candidacy for the 2027 presidential election. The 37-year-old Guadeloupean made his entry into the race for the Élysée official through a video posted on his social media and an interview given to Le Parisien.
In recent years, Teddy Riner had multiplied the signs of a possible political commitment. A run for the presidency remains exceptional, however, even though the bridge between elite sport and politics has already often been crossed in France.
Seated in front of a bookcase, in a white shirt and dark jacket, the champion chose this format for an announcement that caught the political world off guard. The first judoka to become a three-time Olympic heavyweight champion, after eleven world titles, he remains active.
The president of Reconquête!, Éric Zemmour, also announced his candidacy in September. Former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin has confirmed his intention to run, without formalizing his candidacy for the time being.
"My name is Teddy Riner and I tell you, looking you straight in the eye, I am a candidate in the 2027 presidential election,"the judoka declared. He presented himself as a candidate"neither of the right nor of the left.".