A photograph of French President Emmanuel Macron receiving an impassioned kiss from his minister for sport has caused a stir online.
Macron, 46, was captured sharing a close, clenching embrace with Amélie Oudéa-Castéra during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.
Oudéa-Castéra, also 46, holds onto the back of Macron’s head as she kisses him on the cheek as the two hold each other.
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal can be seen awkwardly looking the other way as the two exchange their close kiss.
Madame Figaro, the French magazine, called it a ‘curious kiss’, pointing out the minister ‘clearly knows how to get people talking about her’.
Macron, 46, was captured sharing a close embrace with Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, also 46, during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, right, can be seen looking the other way as the two exchange their close kiss
The outlet wrote: ‘After the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, the pressure was off, giving way to euphoria.
‘In an explosion of joy, sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castera and President Emmanuel Macron kissed. The kiss caused quite a stir.’
Online commentators meanwhile were quick to point out the close embrace between the two.
One person wrote: ‘What’s this kiss between Oudéa and Macron??!’ while another commentator added: ‘Brigitte [Macron’s wife] won’t like it’.
Another added: ‘Damn son! That’s a curious embrace!’, while another added: ‘Ooh la la.’
One user was more critical, adding: ‘I find this photo indecent, it’s not worthy of a president and a minister.’
The embrace didn’t have everyone convinced however, with one user writing: ‘I don’t see the harm in it.
Online commentators were quick to point out the close embrace between the two
Macron, flanked by his wife Brigitte Macron, leave after his vote in the second round of France’s legislative election at a polling station in Le Touquet, northern France on July 7, 2024
‘The French are known for kissing on both cheeks as a greeting. Vive La France!’
Oudéa-Castéra made a splash earlier this month when she dived in to the River Seine in an attempt to convince the world that the river was fit for Olympic athletes.
Sharing a video to her social media, she said ‘Promise kept’, in reference to an earlier pledge she had made to get in the water before the Games.
Despite this, a number of events have had to be postponed already due to water quality concerns.
Concerns over cleanliness lead to the men’s triathlon being postponed on Tuesday, with officials hoping the swimming portion will soon go forward after a cleanup.
Organizers said they hope to hold the men’s triathlon on Wednesday, with the women’s competition also scheduled that day.
Both will only go ahead if water tests show acceptable levels of E.coli and other bacteria.