Judo champion banned from competing for 5 months after making sign of the cross during Paris Olympics

A Serbian judo champion has been suspended from competing in his sport for five months after he made the sign of the cross during a match at the Paris Olympics.

The International Judo Federation (IJF) informed Nemanja Majdov, 28, that he will be prohibited from competing in any sanctioned judo competitions until early 2025 for “having shown a clear religious sign when entering the field of play,” a violation of the organization’s rules for athletes.

Majdov, a Serbian Orthodox Christian, has said that he would not apologize for breaking the judo organization’s rules when he made the universally accepted religious sign before beginning an Olympic judo match in Paris on July 31.

“Nothing new for me personally, just a new page in my career and a new life experience,” Majdov wrote on Instagram. “I’m sorry that such a beautiful and difficult sport like judo has fallen to such things.” 

“The Lord has given me everything, both for me personally and for my career, and he is number 1 for me and I am proud of that,” Majdov also wrote, as reported by the New York Post. “And that will not change under any circumstances. Glory to Him and thanks for everything.” 

Entering this year’s Olympic games Majdov was ranked No. 3 in the world in judo’s 90 kg weight class. In 2023 he won a gold medal at the European Judo Championships and came away with a silver medal at this year’s tournament. 

“God gave me a great career, 7 European and 3 world medals,” the Christian athlete wrote. “When I started, I dreamed of winning at least one big medal and thus succeeding in my life and the life of my family, who sacrificed everything for my career. He gave us a lot more…” 

In a statement the IJF said that its rules disallow any member athlete from displaying religious signs near the field of play. “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 group said. 

The IJF said that Majdov had been previously warned in 2018 and 2022 for violating the group’s prohibition of religious expression, and in both cases refused to apologize. 

“True, in the defense letter of the disciplinary proceedings I did not want to apologize,” Majdov, recalled, “and of course I did not, nor will I ever [apologize], although I did not even know what the punishment could be.” 

The Orthodox Times reported that several other Serbian athletes have stepped forward to express their support of Majdov, including tennis player Novak Djokovic, a seven-time Wimbledon champion.  

Of the five-month ban, Majdov said: “We will rest until then, and then we will return with the help of our Lord Jesus Christ to a new beginning and new victories.” 

For context of Majdov’s show of faith, the New York Post noted that his offense against the IJF’s rules “came one day after the Paris Olympics faced intense backlash over its opening ceremony, which featured a drag show version of The Last Supper. The segment featured 17 performers — including three familiar ‘Drag Race France’ competitors — behind a long table, resembling Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting of Jesus Christ and his disciples sharing a final meal.”