Former boxing champion who has long since bridged into politics, Tauhiti Nena believes Teddy Riner’s presidential bid is a “good thing.” The former Minister of Education thinks the Guadeloupean judoka has “intelligence,” the “rigor,” and the “values” needed to be a good head of state. Nevertheless, the Papeete-based deputy, who had supported Bruno Le Maire and then Éric Zemmour in the race to the Élysée, is awaiting the Tavini’s stance, to which he is now affiliated, and the candidates’ proposals on Polynesia before expressing any support.
The surprise announcement of Teddy Riner’s candidacy for the presidential election, on Monday, triggered a wide range of reactions at the national level, in both political and sporting circles. Enthusiastic responses came from some — Laure Manaudou, Bernard Laporte, or Brahim Asloum praising a “courageous” commitment; Dominique de Villepin believes he “has a contribution to make” —, while others were more cautious — David Douillet recalls that politics is a “machine to grind you down”; François Hollande notes that “the presidential election is not the Olympics”; former Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra hopes he “won’t forget the tatamis” — or openly hostile, such as that of former Olympic track champion turned Sports Minister Guy Drut, who judges the candidacy “ridiculous.”
With each public statement, the same debate erupts about the political legitimacy of a sportsperson, especially one who remains active, since Teddy Riner, already a five-time Olympic champion, plans to participate in the Los Angeles Games even if elected. Tahiti has already known a few athletes who moved into politics: Reynald Temarii, and more recently Naea Benett, now deputy mayor of Arue, who pursued high-level sports careers before being called to government as Sports Minister. Like Tauhiti Nena, who served as Minister of Education, Youth and Sports from 2011 to 2013 and has been a municipal councillor in Papeete since 2014, who believes that the Guadeloupean judoka’s entry into the Elysee race is a “good thing.”
“He has all the qualities to be a good president in France.”
“He carried the flag for France at the Olympic Games; he is a key figure in high-level sport. Now he is running, and I think he can do better than the previous presidents,” he says. “Because to reach the highest level, you need discipline, rigor… physically, but also psychologically, emotionally… You have to be ready. I think he is a very intelligent person; he has all the qualities to be a good president in France.”
The former Pacific boxing champion (1995) and still president of the Polynesian Boxing Association praises the “mindset” and the “values” carried by athletes who enter politics, notably the “patriotism” that France would otherwise lack, “and which Tahiti also lacks.” He also suggests that a lack of political experience should not be a barrier, since elected officials surround themselves with “technicians” to realize their projects: “It depends on the French; do they want people of value, people who can move the country forward, or politicians to do the same as before?”
No backing without Tavini’s approval
Despite this enthusiasm, the independentist eleector is clear that he will not offer support to Teddy Riner, no matter how much of an athlete he is, before knowing his proposals for the fenua. “What matters to me is developing this country so that fewer Polynesians suffer,” he says. “If he is ready to help us achieve real development, so that we can be economically independent and then sovereign, that would be a good thing, even if it means we keep strong ties with France.”
Tauhiti Nena has often surprised with his choices of national endorsements. After a break, now forgotten, with Tavini, he had notably supported Bruno Le Maire in the right-wing primary, before turning to François Fillon in the 2017 election. In 2022, after an episode with Gaston Flosse who had once presented him as his successor, the former minister under Oscar Temaru signed a partnership with Éric Zemmour and his Reconquête party. A support for the far-right candidate that he does not renounce today: “He used to say true things, in the sense that Tahiti was a gold mine for France,” he notes. The former boxer has made “no choice” for the upcoming presidential election: “We must see with Tavini. If they do not back a candidate, everyone will have the freedom to vote. Regarding Teddy Riner, it’s certain that he’s a top-level athlete; for me, that can only be better.”
