Politics

Macron receives endorsement of elite French athletes ahead of run-off

Paris, Apr 13 (EFE).- Emmanuel Macron, seeking a second term as France’s president, on Wednesday received the endorsement of the country’s elite athletes including Olympic boxing champion Tony Yoka, tennis player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and soccer player Blaise Matuidi.

Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen will compete in the runoff scheduled for 24 April, after obtaining 27.84 percent and 23.15 percent of the votes in the first round respectively.

In an open letter published in Le Parisien, the athletes considered it inconceivable that a far-right head of state could represent France at the opening of the 2024 Olympic Games and called on the French to vote for Macron.

The signatories include handball player Nikola Karabatic, the cyclist Romain Bardet and the Olympic swimming champion Laure Manaudou.

“The sport in which we believe, that of the Olympic values, is made of friendship and respect; it rejects all discrimination (…) it is a powerful remedy against exclusion. In these uncertain times, it is a vector of union,” they said.

“We, therefore, urge you to vote for Emmanuel Macron on April 24,” they added. EFE

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