Olympics judo star Nemanja Majdov banned for 5 months after making sign of cross at Paris Games

Serbian judo world champion Nemanja Majdov vowed not to apologize after he was hit with a five-month ban for making the sign of the cross before he competed at the Paris Olympics. Majdov was accused of violating the International Judo Federation’s religious code for “having shown a clear religious sign when entering the field of play” and was barred from participating in “all tournaments, camps and preparations.”Footage captured Majdov touching his forehead, stomach and then both shoulders as part of the Christian gesture ahead of his bout against Greece’s Theodoros Tselidis on July 31. “15 days ago I received a decision that I was suspended for 5 months by the World Judo Federation (IJF) for violating their religious codes,” Majdov said on Instagram.“More precisely, because of [making a sign of the cross] when entering a match at the Olympic Games.Majdov was also punished for “refusing to bow” to Tselidis after he lost the Round of 16 elimination match, according to the IJF on Wednesday.

He will be eligible to return to competition in early 2025.The IJF forbids athletes from displaying religious signs near the field of play and has “zero tolerance for any form of discrimination or provocation that may impact our athletes’ performance.” “With 205-member national federations, each representing a different country or recognized territory (associate members), it is the duty of the IJF to ensure that the field of play is reserved for judo and governed exclusively by the rules of our sport,” the organization said in a statement.The IJF claimed Majdov was warned in April 2018 and February 2022 for “breaching the IJF code of ethics” — but he refused to apologize for honoring his faith and chose not to contest the warnings. “True, in the defense letter of the disciplinary proceedings I did not want to apologize… and of course I did not, nor will I ever, although I did not even know what the punishment could be,” Majdov said.�...