![In an Instagram post responding to his five-month ban, Judo athlete Nemanja Majdov of Serbia said he “did not want to apologize for the [sign of the cross], and of course I did not, nor will I ever. In an Instagram post responding to his five-month ban, Judo athlete Nemanja Majdov of Serbia said he “did not want to apologize for the [sign of the cross], and of course I did not, nor will I ever.](https://publisher-ncreg.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pb-ncregister/swp/hv9hms/media/2024092016098_281e0630a3b57156727c5710e61864b2d57d2449bbfd48637ae7e39b4129a2f9.jpg)
Judo Athlete Banned for Five Months, Sign of the Cross at Olympics One of Several Factors
Serbian judo world champion Nemanja Majdov was hit with a five-month ban by the International Judo Foundation (IJF) after having made the ancient Christian sign while competing in the Paris games in July.