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British sprinter Jeremiah Azu is at the centre of a religious row after wearing a headband with the slogan '100% Jesus' at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
World athletics will apply pressure on Azu to not wear it again when he competes in the sprint relay this weekend.
Azu, the first Welsh athlete to run sub-10 seconds for the 100m, is from a devout family - and credits his faith for his sporting success.
He has been quoted as saying: 'When I'm on that start line, I feel I am not doing this just for me, or on my own, but there is a higher power behind me.
'Whether things go right or wrong for me, it feels ok, and I am able to carry on because I know I am doing God's work. For me, I want to spread the gospel. The faster I run, the more people I can reach.'
Religious and political statements are banned, according to World Athletics regulations, and the organisation yesterday issued a statement, saying they are aware of the issue and: 'As he may compete in the relay we will remind the team ahead of competition of our regulations and of consequences.'
British sprinter Jeremiah Azu is at the centre of a religious row after wearing a headband with the slogan '100 per cent Jesus' at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo
As an athlete, Azu (centre in action) is banned from making religious and political statements
It is unclear whether Azu will wear the headband when he runs again on Saturday. And the UK Athletics team has yet to make its position clear.
Azu is not the first athlete to come under the spotlight because of their religious devotion.
Crystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi found himself caught up in a controversy after writing 'I love Jesus' on his armband last season.
The rainbow armbands were part of the Premier League's LGBTQ+ inclusion initiative, and Guehi was reminded by the Football Association that religious messaging was banned on kits.
Despite that reminder, he then wore an armband with 'Jesus loves you' written on it in his following game, but avoided sanction from the FA.
'The message was just a message of truth and love and inclusivity to be honest,' Guehi told the BBC after the incident.
'I don't think the message was harmful in any way - that's all I can really say about that to be honest.'
The '100% Jesus' headband worn by Azu, whose father is a preacher, was previously worn by Neymar, most notably when he collected his Olympic gold medal on home soil in Rio back in 2016.
The '100%Jesus' headband has previously been worn by Neymar on multiple occasions
Marc Guehi also courted controversy when he wrote 'Jesus loves you' on his rainbow armband
It was not the first time that the Brazilian superstar had worn the headband, having also brought it out when celebrating Barcelona's 2015 Champions League victory.
When Neymar was later nominated for the Ballon D'Or, Fifa chose to blur out the message on the headband on a video of the three finalists which also featured Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
A decade later, Neymar again wore the headband when he returned to sign for boyhood club Santos.
The Brazilian's decision to wear it at the Olympics in Rio did not result in a sanction from the IOC, however the issue of political and religious slogans by athletes again reared its head before Tokyo 2021.
Then IOC President Thomas Bach reminded athletes ahead of the Games in the Japanese capital that they must abide by Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter, which states: 'No kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas'.
Meanwhile, last summer in Paris, Afghan breakdancer Manizha Talash, representing the Refugee Olympic team, was disqualified for violating Rule 50 after she wore a cape stating 'Free Afghan Women'.
