France opens probe into racial abuse of judo star Teddy Riner
French prosecutors are investigating racist insults and cyber-harassment directed at judo champion Teddy Riner after he voiced concern over the far right.
French authorities have opened an investigation into a wave of racist and hateful messages directed at judo champion Teddy Riner, after the multiple Olympic and world title holder publicly voiced alarm at the rise of the far right.
The Paris Public Prosecutor's Office announced the probe in a brief statement posted on Instagram on Wednesday, referring to "racist insults and cyber-harassment targeting a French athlete." The post was accompanied by an image of Riner in competition. The Central Office for the Fight Against Crimes against Humanity and Hate Crimes, known as OCLCH, will lead the investigation.
The abuse followed an interview Riner gave last week to the French sports programme Stade 2, in which he said he was "freaked out" by the growth of extremism. Asked whether he was referring to "both sides" — the far left and the far right — Riner answered: "the far right." He added that this worried him more than his shoulder, a reference to a persistent right-shoulder injury.
In a post on X on Thursday, Riner said that after his remarks on September 16, "numerous tweets, posts, comments, and messages of a hateful or racist nature directed at me have circulated on social media."
The episode comes against a charged political backdrop in France. A presidential election is due next year, and in March the far right made gains in the first round of municipal elections.
Riner recently rejoined Paris Saint-Germain's judo club on a contract running until 2028. The club threw its support behind him, saying on X that "racist insults and hateful messages targeting Teddy Riner are unacceptable" and have no place on social media, in sport or in society.
The 2.04-metre heavyweight, an 11-time world champion, has said he hopes to close out his career with a fourth individual Olympic gold medal at the Los Angeles Games in 2028, when he will be 39. If he qualifies, it would be his sixth and final Olympics. He has, however, been ruled out of next month's world championships in Baku because of the lingering shoulder problem.