In professional sports, certain rules are sacrosanct, and breaking them can bring consequences, something Jeremiah Azu was recently reminded of. The World Athletics Championships is governed by World Athletics (formerly known as the IAAF), the global authority responsible for setting and enforcing the sport’s rules. Athletes found violating these regulations face strict penalties, and Azu was warned for disciplinary action along similar lines. But what exactly did he do to draw the federation’s ire? Let’s find out.

In a recent statement, the federation reminded Great Britain that its athlete, Jeremiah Azu, came dangerously close to breaching the sport’s rules. Why? During the men’s 100m semi-final—where he finished fourth and missed out on a place in the final—the Welsh sprinting sensation wore a headband that read: “100% Jesus.” The federation took note of the slogan and formally raised the matter with the British athletics authorities.

According to World Athletics rules, the display of religious or political slogans is strictly prohibited during competition. “We are aware of the headband, and as he may compete in the relay, we will remind the team ahead of competition of our regulations and of consequences,” read the statement from World Athletics.

As per the official rule, Rule 1.7.11 of the Marketing and Advertising rulebook, “Both political (i.e. the promotion of any political parties, associations, movements, ideas or any other political cause) and religious (i.e. the promotion of religions, movements, ideas or other religious causes) marketing are prohibited.”

However, it’s unclear as to what steps may be taken if Azu were to wear the headband again. Meanwhile, Azu and UK Athletics haven’t responded publicly to the statement from World Athletics yet, but one thing is certain: Azu knows exactly what he needs to do next after his 100m semi-final exit.

Jeremiah Azu reveals what went wrong at the World Championships

Clocking 10.05 seconds for fourth in his semi-final, it was a solid run but not enough to punch his ticket to the final. Azu admitted he must return to the drawing board if he hopes to stand toe-to-toe with the world’s best and contend for Championship medals. The 24-year-old remained composed after the race, reflecting on a stellar season that included his 60m world indoor crown. Yet, he knows true judgment comes outdoors. “I think I got out great, transitioned well, held my form,” he said.

He further added, “It was probably my average this year, so I have been very consistent. But against the best in the world, you need to be better than that. You need to be going nine seconds. Ultimately, I fell short there. I finished the race healthy, and I have the relay coming up next week, so I am going to take a couple of days off and then get ready for that. I have my family in the stands and will hang out with them for a few days, go see Tokyo.”

Great Britain was left without representation in the race as Zharnel Hughes suffered the same disappointment as Jeremiah Azu. After edging Azu out of contention earlier, Hughes himself was denied a place in the final when he was squeezed out in the last semi.

“It’s a weird one,” Azu jested. “I’m never one to hope anyone doesn’t do well. I made sure, in that position, I kept myself the same. And I just asked God for his will to be done, you know. Ultimately, that’s what came to pass and I can’t be too disheartened. I gave it my best, but my best wasn’t good enough.” Well, other than Azu, it appears that the entire team will have to introspect on their race tactics.