Serbian judoka Nemanja Majdov On , he said he was not worried about being disqualified for displaying religious gestures.
Earlier, the International Judo Federation had suspended Maidov for five months for making a religious gesture at the Paris Olympics before his loss to Greece’s Theodoros Tselidis in the round of 16.
— I was suspended for five months, the main reason was that I crossed myself before the fight at the Olympics. I was warned twice about the consequences. The first time was in 2018 at the Grand Slam tournament in Antalya. I crossed myself when I won on Easter, which is a holy day in my Christian religion. The second time, I crossed myself at the Masters in Jerusalem. Everyone knows what Jerusalem means to Christians and to Jesus Christ.
Yes, I know about these prohibitions, but I can’t stop and not get baptized. Because judo is not so important to me, it’s just work. Faith in Jesus Christ is the main thing in my life. It was he who gave me fame and career, as well as my life. The suspension means absolutely nothing to me. Because it’s not my personal case. I want to be the voice of all athletes – Christians and representatives of other religions – who want to show it.
Five months will pass very quickly. It is not a problem for me. I missed six months and came back stronger. Many athletes are afraid to vote, but I am not afraid of anything. So I want to tell Christians and people of all other religions that we need freedom to display our religion. It is not about provoking anyone. First of all, I am an Orthodox Christian, and only then a judoka or an athlete. And this is the main thing for me. There is nothing that can stop me, because I do not want to sell my religion for some kind of medal, “Maideov said on the air of the program “There is a Tema!” on .
Nemanja Maidov is the 2017 world champion in the under 90 kg category and the 2023 European champion.
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I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
