Serbian Judo Olympian Nemanja Majdov was suspended by the International Judo Federation for making a religious symbol and violating other codes during one tournament.
A Christian judo Olympian was sidelined by the International Judo Federation after he displayed the sign of the cross while walking into the ring at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris this summer. Serbian judo world champion Nemanja Majdov announced in a recent social media post that he was suspended for five months from competing in the sport after he made the religious gesture during an Olympic tournament on July 31.
Majdov was also accused of violating other rules about respecting his opponent during the same Olympic tournament. 'In addition, at the end of the contest, the athlete refused to bow to the opponent and could not control his emotions. He started to remove his judogi while leaving the tatami,' the IJF said. Majdov defended his actions in a letter back to the foundation, which was included in their disciplinary report.
The IJF addressed backlash to the athlete's suspension in a September 18 statement, reaffirming that religious symbols are only restricted on the field of play to maintain neutrality and respect for all athletes in the sport. 'Our rules regarding the display of religious or other signs 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.
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