On September 17-18, the informational portal “Georgia First“ and various Georgian (1, 2, 3) and Russian-language (1, 2, 3, 4) accounts shared a claim that Serbian judoka Nemanja Majdov was punished by the International Judo Federation with a 5-month disqualification for making the sign of the cross during his performance at the Olympics. Georgian accounts further asserted that Georgian judoka Lasha Bekauri could face a similar penalty.
The claim that judoka Nemanja Majdov was disqualified for making the sign of the cross is partially false. According to the official statement from the International Judo Federation, Majdov was punished for violating multiple rules during the Olympics, which led to his disqualification.
Nemanja Majdov, the 2017 World Champion and current vice-champion, was eliminated in the first round of the 2024 Paris Olympics after receiving 3 warnings (Shido) during his bout against a Greek judoka. After the match, Majdov argued with the referee, believing he had been unfairly penalized. In his frustration, he failed to bow to his opponent, which is a mandatory tradition in judo.
On September 15, the Serbian judoka posted on Instagram that 15 days earlier, he had received a letter from the International Judo Federation informing him of a 5-month disqualification. He claimed the reason was making the sign of the cross during his Olympic performance. Majdov stated that he refused to apologize during the hearing and was unaware of the consequences.
On September 18, the International Judo Federation published a statement detailing the decision regarding Majdov. The statement explained that he was punished for several rule violations, including the prohibition of religious symbols and gestures during competition. After the match, Majdov failed to control his emotions, argued with the referee, and refused to bow to his opponent, a mandatory gesture for both athletes. Additionally, before leaving the competition area, Majdov removed his belt, which is also prohibited. The statement also noted that Majdov had received two prior warnings in 2018 and 2022 for using religious symbols, yet he continued to disregard the rule. However, the commission acknowledged that his sign of the cross was relatively restrained, did not show disrespect to his opponent, and occurred in the mixed zone before he entered the tatami.
Despite the commission’s belief that Majdov did not exhibit aggression or uncontrolled behavior, these rule violations occurred in front of a large audience, which they considered damaging to judo’s image. As a result, the commission decided to issue a 140-day disqualification.
According to sports media, after being eliminated from the Olympics on July 31, Majdov posted an Instagram story expressing his frustration and verbally insulting the referee and judo federation officials.
Georgian accounts also claimed that Lasha Bekauri, the two-time Olympic champion, could face disqualification for making the sign of the cross, but this claim is false. While judo rules do prohibit religious gestures during competitions, athletes do not receive disqualification solely for this. In fact, Myth Detector previously contacted the International Judo Federation about this issue, and their representative stated that athletes receive warnings, not disqualifications, for breaking this rule. Majdov’s case further illustrates this, as he had received two prior written warnings for religious gestures and was only disqualified after multiple rule violations in combination.
About the source:
“Georgia First News” is the Facebook page of the portal founded by Vato Shakarishvili, a former member of the ruling Georgian Dream party. The portal frequently publishes anti-Western content aimed at criticizing EU institutions, NATO, and the U.S. administration. The portal has previously spread false and manipulative claims multiple times.
David Jebashvili regularly spreads anti-Western and anti-opposition content, including fake news. Myth Detector has debunked Jebashvili’s disinformation on several occasions.
Facebook user “Sidonia Bella Bel” is a supporter of the pro-Russian party Conservative Movement and its affiliated TV channel Alt-Info. She is also linked to several other Facebook accounts that frequently change names, such as Georgian Caucasian and Sidonia Backup Page. These accounts often share anti-Western and homophobic content. Disinformation from these accounts have been debunked by Myth Detector multiple times.
Archive: (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
The article has been written in the framework of Facebook’s fact-checking program. You can read more about the restrictions that Facebook may impose based on this article via this link. You can find information about appealing or editing our assessment via this link.
Read detailed instructions for editing the article.
Read detailed appeal instructions.
