Judo star Teddy Riner is taking on what may be his toughest battle in the French presidential race
In a contest of who has the firmer handshake, it’s not a stretch to suggest, as he does, that French judo great Teddy Riner would get the better of Donald Trump if ever they were to meet as presidents of their respective countries.
But that’s a big “if.”
Even with five Olympic gold medals under his black belt and more than 3.3 million followers on his socials, Riner’s newly announced bid for the presidency of France is likely to be a harder contest than many of the judokas he crushed.
History and rules stand in his way
The list of celebrities who successfully campaigned for elected office is shorter in France than in the United States, where Trump, Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura, two-time NBA champion Bill Bradley, former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jack Kemp and others turned small-screen, big-screen and sporting stardom into political power.
Two-time Olympic champions David Douillet, in judo, and Jean-François Lamour, in fencing, and Guy Drut, the 110-meter hurdles champion at the Montreal Olympics in 1976, won seats in France’s parliament in retirement and served as sports ministers. But Riner is aiming to be the first celebrity to hold France’s top office since World War II hero Gen. Charles de Gaulle.
To appear on the ballot for the first round of voting in April, Riner needs a minimum of 500 elected officials to sponsor his candidacy, a requirement designed to not be easy.
The measure, intended to limit the size of the field and filter out fanciful candidacies, is an indication of how France has traditionally regarded running the country as a serious business. It has been in place since the 1981 election and was one of the barriers that foiled a presidential bid by comedian and actor Coluche that year.
“In France, there are complex hurdles to entry for people who don’t come from the establishment,” said François Hourmant, a professor of political science at Angers University who has studied celebrity culture in French and North American politics.
“Moving from the tatamis to the political arena isn’t that simple, and isn’t something everyone can do,” he said in a phone interview with The Associated Press.
Riner’s first campaign stop
A thicket of cameras that greeted the 37-year-old on Friday, when he made his first campaign stop at a hospital in the northern suburbs of Paris, testified to the star power that Riner brings to the race.
Looking fighting fit in a dark suit and open-neck shirt, he towers over everyone from the height of his 2.04-meter (6-foot, 8-inch) frame. His imposing physicality and easy charisma translate readily to television.
But the policy proposals Riner plans to bring to the campaign remain unclear. He describes himself as neither left nor right on the political spectrum and says France “needs common sense” and not “a professional politician who recites lessons and squabbles all day long.”
