{"id":2344255,"date":"2024-09-21T12:11:01","date_gmt":"2024-09-21T16:11:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/christian-athlete-hit-with-lengthy-ban-after-making-cross-sign-at-the-olympics\/"},"modified":"2024-09-21T12:13:05","modified_gmt":"2024-09-21T16:13:05","slug":"christian-athlete-hit-with-lengthy-ban-after-making-cross-sign-at-the-olympics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/christian-athlete-hit-with-lengthy-ban-after-making-cross-sign-at-the-olympics\/","title":{"rendered":"Christian Athlete Hit With Lengthy Ban After Making Cross Sign at the Olympics"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fchristian-athlete-hit-with-lengthy-ban-after-making-cross-sign-at-the-olympics%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2344255&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Serbian <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-most-conservative-sport-5-ufc-stars-who-dont-hide-their-right-wing-opinions\/\" title=\"\u2018The Most Conservative Sport\u2019: 5 UFC Stars Who Don\u2019t Hide Their Right-Wing Opinions\">judo<\/a> athlete Nemanja Majdov has\u2063 been banned for five months by the International Judo Federation (IJF) after he made\u2062 the sign of\u200c the cross during an Olympic\u2064 match in Paris. \u2062Despite losing his match \u2062against Greece&#8217;s Theodoros Tselidis on July 31, Majdov showed no remorse, stating he would not apologize for his actions. He expressed pride in his faith and indicated that the\u200c ban signified a new chapter in\u200d his career. Majdov highlighted the importance of his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/legal-battles-over-pronoun-use-could-soon-land-at-supreme-court\/\" title=\"Pronoun use disputes may soon reach Supreme Court.\">religious\u200d beliefs<\/a> in his life\u2063 and career, emphasizing that God has granted him success. <\/p>\n<p>The IJF justified its decision \u2064by \u200dreferencing past warnings\u200b given to Majdov for\u2063 similar breaches of conduct, \u200cstressing that \u2064the competition arena is a \u2062space solely for the sport of judo, \u200dand displays of religion are not permissible during matches. They affirmed their commitment to respecting the beliefs of their\u200d athletes \u2064outside\u200d the competition setting\u2062 but maintained\u200b strict rules within the field of play to ensure fairness and a focused sporting\u200b environment.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> <script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>A Serbian athlete who made the sign of the cross at the Paris Olympics one day after the opening ceremony of the games mocked Christianity has been punished for his action.<\/p>\n<p>Judo star Nemanja Majdov says he is not the least bit apologetic despite being banned from competing for five months by the International Judo Federation.<\/p>\n<p>Prior to his match against Theodoros Tselidis of Greece on July 31, &nbsp;Majdov made the sign of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/six-christians-arrested-paris-objecting-olympics-opening-ceremony\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cross<\/a>, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/09\/20\/sports\/serbia-olympics-judo-athlete-nemanja-majdov-banned-for-5-months-for-making-sign-of-cross-at-paris-games\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New York Post<\/a>. Majdov lost the match.<\/p>\n<p>Majdov, who was the world&rsquo;s third-ranked judoka in his weight class at the time of his ban, won a gold medal at the European Judo Championships in 2023 and a silver medal this year.<\/p>\n<p>In a translation of his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/C_8XBEFIXno\/?hl=en&amp;img_index=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Instagram<\/a> post, he said he &ldquo;did not want to apologize,&rdquo; adding that &ldquo;of course I did not, nor will I ever, although I did not even know what the punishment could be.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>  <script> \t\t\t\tif( ! getCookie( 'ff_subbed' ) ) if( typeof FFADS.replace_ict !='undefined' ) if( FFADS.replace_ict ) eval( FFADS.replace_ict ); \t\t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I was banned from participating in all tournaments, camps and preparations,&rdquo; he &nbsp;wrote.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Lord has given me everything, both for me personally and for my career, and he is number 1 for me and I am proud of that. And that will not change under any circumstances. Glory to Him and thanks for everything,&rdquo; he wrote.<\/p>\n<p>He called the ban &ldquo; a new page in my career and a new life experience.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sorry that such a beautiful and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/counting-down-the-worst-sports-announcers-of-all-time\/\" title=\"Counting Down The Worst Sports Announcers Of All-Time\">difficult sport<\/a> like judo has fallen to such things,&rdquo; he wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Majdov added that &ldquo;God gave me a great career.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Serbian star said he would rest during his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-olympic-judo-star-disqualified-violent-moment-forcing-officials-act\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">suspension<\/a> and then &ldquo; we will return with the help of our Lord Jesus Christ to a new beginning and new victories.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The International Judo Federation posted its logic on its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ijf.org\/news\/show\/statement-from-the-international-judo-federation-ijf-18-09-2024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">website<\/a>. It noted that Majdov had been warned in April 2018 and February 2022 after breaking its rules that he would be punished if another <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/olympics-scrambling-deny-mocking-jesus-last-supper-despite-already-admitting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">incident<\/a> took place.<\/p>\n<p>The federation noted that in addition to making the sign of the cross, Majdov did not bow to his opponent after the match and removed his uniform against the rules.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The IJF respects and appreciates equally all cultures, nationalities, religions and orientations of all its members, including but not limited to athletes,&rdquo; it wrote.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Our rules regarding the display of religious or other signs is strictly related to the field of play, which is a space dedicated exclusively for judo and where only the judo specific signs and rules are on display, equally for all,&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The federation said that it &ldquo;does not forbid the practice of religions or religious signs outside the field of play, as we continue to respect the individual freedom of each member of our community.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;With 205-member national federations, each representing a different country or recognized territory (associate members), it is the duty of the IJF to ensure that the field of play is reserved for judo and governed exclusively by the rules of our sport,&rdquo; the statement said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We have zero tolerance for any form of discrimination or provocation that may impact our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/16-year-old-athlete-defies-olympic-officials-proclaims-truth-about-jesus-as-she-wins-medal\/\" title=\"16-Year-Old Athlete Defies Olympic Officials, Proclaims Truth About Jesus as She Wins Medal\">athletes&#038;rsquo<\/a>; performance,&rdquo; the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/muslim-olympian-in-howling-pain-moments-after-snubbing-israeli-opponent\/\" title=\"Muslim Olympian in Howling Pain Moments After Snubbing Israeli Opponent\">federation wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> <label>* Name<\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> <\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> <label>* <\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> <\/div>\n<p> <label>* Message<\/label> <br \/> <textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea>  <\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\">  <\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script>  <\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Serbian athlete, Nemanja Majdov, has faced consequences for making the sign of the cross at the Paris Olympics shortly after the opening ceremony, an act that was perceived as mocking Christianity. Despite receiving a five-month ban from the International Judo Federation (IJF), Majdov remains unapologetic. He performed the gesture before his match against Greece&#8217;s Theodoros Tselidis on July 31 and subsequently lost. At that time, he was ranked third in his weight class globally and had recently won a gold medal at the 2023 European Judo Championships and a silver medal this year.<\/p>\n<p>In an Instagram post translated into English, Majdov expressed that he would not apologize for his actions and was unaware of any potential punishment. He stated that he has been barred from all tournaments, training camps, and preparations but emphasized his pride in his faith: &#8220;The Lord has given me everything&#8230;and I am proud of that.&#8221; He described this ban as &#8220;a new page&#8221; in his career and lamented how judo had come to such issues.<\/p>\n<p>Majdov acknowledged God&#8217;s role in his successful career and mentioned plans to rest during his suspension before returning with renewed determination. The IJF explained its decision on its website, noting previous warnings issued to Majdov regarding rule violations related to religious displays during competitions. They highlighted their commitment to respecting all cultures while maintaining strict regulations about conduct on the competition field. The federation reiterated its zero-tolerance policy towards any actions that could disrupt athletes&#8217; performance or provoke discrimination<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2344256,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Picture-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[17384,4592,4825],"class_list":["post-2344255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-athlete","tag-christian","tag-olympics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Picture-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2344255","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2344255"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2344255\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2344256"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2344255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2344255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2344255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}