A judo champion has been suspended for five months for making the sign of the cross during the Olympics this summer. Nemanja Majdov has been suspended by the International Judo Federation (IJF) for ‘having shown a clear religious sign when entering the field of play’.

Serbian judo world champion Nemanja Majdov vowed not to apologize after he was hit with a five-month ban for making the sign of the cross before he competed at the Paris Olympics.

Serbian athlete Nemanja Majdov, 28, has been left floored by a decision to suspend him for five months after he made the sign of the cross (right) while taking part in this year's Olympic Games.

The anti-doping program for the Paris Olympics caught five athletes after earlier finding 40 rule violations among competitors who had been expected to take part in the Games.