Paris: Photos of French President 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, Macron’s prime minister, can be seen looking the other way as Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera, 46, embraced the president.

“Attal doesn’t know where to look,” one commentator pointed out.

“The French have fallen in love with the Games,” Oudea-Castera told CNews after 85 per cent said they viewed the opening ceremony as a triumph. A similar amount thought the Olympics overall were a success.

“They’ll be talking about it for the next 100 years,” Macron added after the opening ceremony.

Clearly swept away by the emotion of it all, Oudea-Castera, 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, the French magazine that 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”.

Newspaper 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 Amelie Oudea-Castera and President Emmanuel Macron kissed. The kiss caused quite a stir.”