Serbian judo world champion Nemanja Maidov has vowed not to apologise after being banned for five months for making the sign of the cross before a match at the Paris Olympics.
Maidov was accused of violating the International Judo Federation's religious regulations by “showing visible religious signs when entering the competition area” and was banned from taking part in “all competitions, training camps and preparations.”
The footage shows Maidov touching his forehead, stomach and shoulders as part of a Christian gesture before a match against Greece's Theodoros Tselidis on July 31.
“15 days ago I received a decision from the International Judo Federation (IJF) to suspend me for five months for violating religious regulations,” Maidov said on Instagram. “More precisely, [making a sign of the cross] When you compete in the Olympic Games.
The IJF said on Wednesday that Maidov was also punished for “refusing to bow” to Tselidis after their loss in the round of 16. He is due to be able to return to competition in early 2025.
The IJF prohibits athletes from displaying religious signs near competition venues and has a policy of “zero tolerance for any form of discrimination or provocation that may affect the performance of athletes.”
“With 205 member federations (associate member federations) representing different countries and recognised territories, the IJF's duty is to ensure that the playing field is reserved exclusively for judo and governed solely by the rules of our sport,” the organisation said in a statement.
The IJF claimed that Maidov had received warnings in April 2018 and February 2022 for “violating the IJF Code of Ethics”, but Maidov refused to apologise, citing his religious beliefs, and chose not to contest the warnings.
“Certainly, I did not intend to apologise in my written reply to the disciplinary proceedings… I certainly have not apologised and I do not intend to apologise in the future, but I did not even know what the punishment would be,” Maidov said.
“The Lord has given me everything, both personally and in my career. He is number one to me and I am proud of that, and that will never change no matter the situation. Glory to the Lord and thanks for everything.”
At the time he learned of the suspension, Maidov was the world's third-ranked judoka in the 90kg weight class and was set to win gold at the 2023 European Judo Championships before winning silver at this year's tournament.
“For me personally there is nothing new, just a new page in my career and a new life experience. It's a shame that such a beautiful and difficult sport as judo has fallen into this,” Maidov said.
“God has given me a great career, winning medals at European Championships seven times and World Championships three times. When I started, I dreamed of winning at least one big medal and succeeding in life for my family who sacrificed everything for me and my career. God has given us so much more, and even owed us so much that I would bow down in front of them if I had to choose one over the other.”
Maidov's declaration of faith came a day after a drag show version of “The Last Supper” was performed at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, sparking outrage.
The segment featured 17 performers, including three familiar faces from “Drag Race France,” standing behind a long table modeled after Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting, “Jesus Christ with His Disciples Sharing the Last Meal.”
In July, an Olympics spokesman told The Washington Post that creative director Thomas Joly had been “inspired” by Renaissance artists, but later retracted the shocking statement.
Organizers said the scene depicted “a great celebration involving the gods of Olympus.”
“Obviously there was no intention to be disrespectful of any religious group. On the contrary, I think together with Thomas Jolly we really tried to celebrate the generosity of the community,” spokeswoman Ann DeCunn said at a news conference.
“Looking at the polling results that we shared, I am confident that this ambition has been achieved. I am, of course, truly sorry if anybody was offended.”
