France's five-time Olympic judo champion Teddy Riner is swapping the Olympic arena for a new battleground: a potential run for the French presidency.

Riner, among France's best-known sports figures, enters the race with far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen leading in the polls to replace centrist President Emmanuel Macron next year.

The Guadeloupe-born Olympian is entering politics without an established political career or the backing of a major party. But he does have a campaign slogan: "La France qu'on aime" (The France we love).

Yet more than one in five voters would be ready to vote for Riner in 2027, according to a poll published by Ifop.

Riner would not be the first public figure to make the leap into politics. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for example, was a comedian and actor before entering politics and winning the presidency in 2019. Now seven years later, Zelenskyy is leading Ukraine through conflict.

So, who is the Olympic champion gaining popularity on the French political scene?

From Olympic champion to presidential candidate

Riner is a familiar face across France, with 3.3 million followers on social media. He is also one of the most decorated judokas in history, widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight competitors the sport has seen.

But his sporting achievements are a long way removed from political experience.

Although he has no established political career, Riner has increasingly spoken out about the direction of France, including his concerns about the rise of the far-right.

In a two-minute, 37-second video announcing his presidential candidacy on November 9, Riner set out his vision for the country. The video attracted more than 25 million views across social media, highlighting the enormous public interest in his announcement.

In an interview with Le Parisien, he spoke about what he sees as some of France's biggest problems, including "fear", "anger" and a growing "social divide".

But while he has outlined some of his priorities, questions remain over how he intends to turn his ambitions into a detailed political program.

In order to appear on the ballot for the first round of voting in April 2027, 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 1976 election and was one of the barriers that foiled a presidential bid by comedian and actor Coluche in the following election of 1981.

A vocal critic of the far-right

Riner has previously spoken out about his concerns over the rise of the far-right, saying he was particularly worried about the direction France was heading.

On September 24 Riner released a statement that he would continue to speak out against the far right, despite being targeted by racist attacks.

"I expressed a concern. Everyone is free to share it or not. Debate and contradiction are legitimate. Hatred and racism are not."

His presidential announcement comes against a backdrop of political fragmentation, with Le Pen among the leading contenders in the polls, alongside hard-left politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon.

In his announcement, Riner described a country struggling with mounting debt and economic pressures, saying he was troubled to see "a father or mother gritting their teeth while filling a shopping trolley".

He also lamented that "state authority has disappeared" in the face of "thugs".

Riner, who is Black, raised concerns about racial inequality and excessive bureaucracy, arguing that "a young person's future can be destroyed simply because they don't have the right network, the right name or the right skin colour".

"I will not be among those who watch the country burn while making excuses," he said.

"Fighting has always been part of who I am. I know what it means to struggle, to fall, to always get back up."