Teddy Riner Runs for French Presidency in 2027: Will the Judo Legend Succeed Where Other Athletes Stumbled?

"The fight has always been part of me"; with these words, French judo legend Teddy Riner traded his judogi for a suit to officially announce on November 9 his candidacy for the French presidential election scheduled for 2027. Looking directly into the camera, the 37-year-old athlete—holder of five Olympic gold medals, 11 world titles, and five European championships—embarked on a new challenge aimed at reaching the Élysée Palace.

His candidacy announcement video garnered more than 10 million views across social networks within just a few hours. The move was also welcomed by current French President Emmanuel Macron, who noted that the presence of this "great champion" on the political scene "can only be an asset for the country." The polling institute Toluna Harris had estimated the Guadeloupe-born athlete's potential support at around 10% prior to his official declaration.

Although the April 2027 electoral contest features dozens of figures, Riner's presence—standing 2.04 meters tall and weighing 150 kilograms—represents an exceptional phenomenon in the French and broader European political landscape, where athletes rarely evolve into national political leaders compared to countries like Liberia with George Weah or Pakistan with Imran Khan. At the starting blocks, Riner might also cross paths with another former athlete, Christine Lagarde, who was a member of the French synchronized swimming team in her youth.

European Precedents Reaching the Pinnacle of Power

Historically, the European continent has seen athletes succeed in capturing high-ranking offices. In Georgia, former Manchester City footballer Mikheil Kavelashvili has served as president since December 2024 after founding the populist "People's Power" movement. Also in Georgia, Kakha Kaladze, a former AC Milan and football great, has held the office of mayor of the capital, Tbilisi, for nine years following his tenure as Minister of Energy from 2012 to 2017.

In Ukraine, Vitali Klitschko, former heavyweight world boxing champion and mayor of the capital Kyiv, stands out as the closest parallel to Riner's path, having stepped into politics through anti-corruption activism, becoming a central figure of the Maidan Revolution (2013–2014) and a symbol of the capital's resilience following the Russian invasion in 2022. In Italy, Silvia Salis, a ten-time national hammer throw champion, was elected mayor of Genoa in the first round in 2025 with the backing of a center-left coalition. In Hungary, Olympic fencing champion Pál Schmitt rose to the presidency in 2010 with the backing of Viktor Orbán's party, before resigning two years later amid a doctoral dissertation plagiarism scandal.

Swift Political Stumbles for Prominent Athletes

On the other hand, the political ventures of sports stars have not been spared harsh setbacks. Ukrainian striker Andriy Shevchenko, winner of the 2004 Ballon d'Or, suffered a major defeat in the 2012 parliamentary elections when his electoral list secured a mere 1.58% of the vote; he subsequently returned to coaching and leading the Ukrainian Association of Football, later serving in an unpaid advisory role to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2023.

In the United Kingdom, Olympic champion Sebastian Coe was elected as a Conservative Member of Parliament in 1992, but lost his seat during Tony Blair's Labour sweep in 1997, subsequently dedicating himself to international sports administration, including leading London's bid for the 2012 Olympic Games. Italy also witnessed a brief venture by Olympic kayak champion Josefa Idem, who was appointed Minister of Sports and Youth in April 2013, only to step down less than two months later over an unpaid property tax case amounting to €3,000, bringing a premature end to her political career.