Serbian judoka Nemanja Majdov has been banned for five months for crossing himself before a bout at the Paris Games
The International Judo Federation (IFJ) has sanctioned Serbian Nemanja Majdov for violating the organisation's religious rules during a bout at the Paris Olympics. announced on Monday via social media.
Majdov said he was informed of the decision 15 days ago and told the five-month suspension was for making the sign of the cross before a fight against Greek Teodor Tselidis.
The athlete said that until the ban expires he will not be able to participate in any tournament, camp or preparation.
In an Instagram post, Majdov said that in his response letter to the IJF he had refused to apologize for the gesture and that even if he had known the punishment he would receive, he would not have apologized.
“Nothing new for me personally, just a new page in my career and a new life experience. I regret that such a beautiful and difficult sport like judo has fallen into such circumstances.” The athlete wrote.
During his bout against Tselidis, Majdov suffered an early defeat after receiving three yellow cards. Frustrated by the disqualification, Majdov spoke out harshly against the decision and the Paris Olympics as a whole.
“Satanic garbage. Your way of judging is poisoned… Disqualify me in two minutes and don’t give me the chance to prove anything at all… Those values of yours, sports and the Olympics are garbage.” Majdov wrote in a series of Instagram posts that were later deleted. “Judo is a lost sport. The outcome of the fight is 100% controlled by the referees. Those who bow down to them win. You will never get that from me. I don’t need a medal like that.”
The IJF has yet to issue an official statement on the athlete's suspension.
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