A photo of French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra warmly hugging President Emmanuel Macron at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, followed by her planting a kiss on his neck, has sparked mixed reactions in France. In the image, French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal turns away from the scene, looking in another direction while Oudéa-Castéra embraces the 46-year-old president fiercely.
Local media agreed that the minister, a former professional tennis player, seemed drawn to an emotion, possibly due to her pride in the opening ceremony, which Macron described as magnificent and claimed "people will talk about it for the next 100 years." Oudéa-Castéra mentioned in an interview with CNews that 85% of French people felt proud of the opening ceremony, stating, "They fell in love with the Games."
The magazine Madame Figaro, which first drew attention to the image, termed the kiss a "curious kiss," noting that the minister "certainly knows how to make people talk about her." The newspaper Midi Libre reported that the pressure from the Olympic opening ceremony dissipated, giving way to euphoria and joy. Oudéa-Castéra's kiss sparked a commotion, leading online commentators to engage in potential debate. One user wrote, "The kiss wouldn’t please Brigitte," Macron's wife. Others pointed out previous pictures showing the minister kissing athletes, confirming that she was so enthusiastic about the Games that she appeared in a full bathing suit with a cap, diving into the Seine River to demonstrate that it was safe for swimming.
