Photos of Emmanuel Macron’s sports minister planting a kiss close to his neck at the Olympic Games opening ceremony have caused a stir in France.
Gabriel Attal, Mr Macron’s prime minister, can be seen looking the other way as Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, 46, embraced the French president.
“Attal doesn’t know where to look,” one commentator pointed out.
“The French have fallen in love with the Games,” Ms Oudéa-Castéra told CNews after 85 per cent said they viewed the opening ceremony to be a triumph and a similar amount viewed the Olympics overall a success.
“They’ll be talking about it for the next 100 years,” Mr Macron added after the opening ceremony.
Clearly swept away by the emotion of it all, Ms Oudéa-Castéra, a former professional tennis player, appeared locked in a close embrace with the 46-year-old president, sparking controversy in the French media and online.
Madame Figaro, which first drew attention to the photo, called it a “curious kiss” and pointed out that the minister “certainly knows how to get people talking about her”.
Midi Libre 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.”