Serbian Judo Star Banned For Religious Gesture At Paris Olympics‌ ‌

The suspension comes as the Olympics were overwhelmed by controversy following the fallout from the “Last Supper” scene during the Opening Ceremony. RELIGION UNPLUGGED.

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Serbian judo star Nemanja Majdov was banned for five months for making the sign of the cross before he competed at the recent Paris Olympics.

Majdov, 28, was accused by the International Judo Federation of violating its code of conduct for “having shown a clear religious sign when entering the field of play” and barred from participating in “all tournaments, camps and preparations” through February 2025.

Majdov, who is Serbian Orthodox, can be seen in a video making the religious gesture — a ritual blessing made by members of some branches of Christianity — on July 31 before taking on Greece’s Theodoros Tselidis.

Two weeks ago, Majdov said on Instagram that he “received a decision that I was suspended for five months by the World Judo Federation for violating their religious codes. More precisely, because of when entering a match at the Olympic Games.”

According to the IJF on Wednesday, Majdov was also punished for “refusing to bow” to Tselidis after he lost the Round of 16 match.

Majdov is one of the best at judo in the world. He won a gold medal at the 2017 World Judo Championships in Budapest. At the 2018 European Judo Championships in Tel Aviv, Majdov won his first senior European medal, a silver, and another silver medal at the 2022 Judo Grand Slam Tel Aviv.

The IJF said in a statement that it does not allow athletes to display 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 IJF said.