Judo athlete banned for five months, sign of the cross at Olympics one of several factors

In an Instagram post responding to his five-month ban, Judo athlete Nemanja Majdov of Serbia said he “did not want to apologize for the [sign of the cross], and of course I did not, nor will I ever.” / Credit: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images

CNA Staff, Sep 20, 2024 / 16:23 pm (CNA).

An Olympic judo athlete has been banned from competition in part because he made the sign of the cross at this year’s Olympic Games.

Serbian judo world champion Nemanja Majdov was hit with a five-month ban by the International Judo Foundation (IJF) after having made the ancient Christian sign while competing in the Paris games in July.

In a statement posted to its website on Wednesday, the IJF criticized what it said were “numerous false claims and erroneous information that are currently circulating in the public domain” regarding the ban.

While the IJF admitted that Majdov was banned in part because he violated the league’s rules on having made a “clear religious sign” on the field of play, the conference said he broke several other league directives as well.

Specifically, Majdov “refused to bow to his opponent at the end of the contest,” and he also “removed [his] judogi in the field of play.” A judogi is the official uniform of the martial art. 

Majdov had “antecedent incidents involving conduct,” the IJF added in its statement; the federation said it had warned him in 2018 and 2022 about his conduct and that his “claims of not knowing about the rule which forbids the display of any religious, political, ethnic, or other sign on the field of play in judo” were “not accurate.” 

The ban on religious symbols in the federation’s competitions “is strictly related to the field of play, which is a space dedicated exclusively for judo and where only the judo specific signs and rules are on display, equally for all,” the statement said. 

In an Instagram post responding to the decision, Majdov said he “did not want to apologize for the [sign of the cross], and of course I did not, nor will I ever.”

“The Lord has given me everything, both for me personally and for my career, and he is No. 1 for me and I am proud of that,” the athlete said. 

“And that will not change under any condition. Glory to him and thanks for everything.”

Majdov is Serbian Orthodox. He has shared photos on Instagram of his participation in Orthodox ceremonies.