Judoka disqualified for sign of the cross claimed right to freedom of religion
Serbian judoka Nemanja Majdov, who was disqualified by the International Judo Federation (IJF) for, among other things, making the sign of the cross at the Olympic Games in Paris, has spoken about the right of athletes to religious freedom. The judoka said this in a conversation with Izvestia on September 22.
He said that the majority of believing athletes are in solidarity with him, but fear the consequences for expressing their opinions.
"I am the voice of all Christian athletes who are not allowed to speak out, and I said all this on behalf of all of us and received many messages all over the world. I didn't expect this news to spread around the world, but I've had people writing to me from Argentina, from Australia," he said.
As the interlocutor noted, any religion is based on love, and these emotions, which can be expressed, for example, with the sign of the cross, should not be censured.
"No religion should bother anyone, because no religion bothers a true believer. Every faith requires love. And that is what should be our foundation. My human right, as a Christian man, to be baptized, and it doesn't bother anyone," the athlete emphasized.
Maidov also stressed that world-famous athletes, such as Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo and Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic, freely express their religion by baptizing before entering the field, and their behavior does not offend anyone.
However, the athlete suggested that judo may be the only sport in the world where the display of religion is prohibited, so Majdov intends to change that.
"My need before a match is to cross myself and I will do it whenever I have the need because I am indebted to God who has given me many good things in life," the judoka added.
Earlier, on September 18, the International Judo Federation reported that Serbian judoka Nemanja Majdov was disqualified for showing a religious sign when entering the field, refusing to bow to his opponent at the end of the fight and removing his judogi on the field of play. The violations were recorded at the judo competition at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on July 31.
