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.
“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. And that will not change under any circumstances. Glory to Him and thanks for everything.”
When he learned he was banned, Majdov was the world’s third-ranked judoist in the -90kg weight class. He won a gold medal at the European Judo Championships in 2023 and earned silver honors at this year’s tournament.
“Nothing new for me personally, just a new page in my career and a new life experience. I’m sorry that such a beautiful and difficult sport like judo has fallen to such things,” Majdov said.
“God gave me a great career, 7 European and 3 world medals. 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, and even borrowed too much so that I would bow my head in front of them when it came either-or.”
Majdov’s show of faith 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.
In July, an Olympics spokesperson told The Post that creative director Thomas Jolly “took inspiration” from the Renaissance artist before walking back the stunning admission.
Organizers said the segment depicted a “great paean feast in which the gods of Olympus take part.”
“Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. On the contrary, I think (with) Thomas Jolly, we really did try to celebrate community tolerance,” spokesperson Anne Descamps said during a press conference.
“Looking at the result of the polls that we shared, we believe that this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense we are, of course, really, really sorry.”
