The Islamic Republic requires Iranian athletes to wear the veil even when competing abroad. But climber Rekabi, 33, broke the rules and only wore a band in her hair, letting her strands show.
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Upon landing at Imã Khomeini International Airport on Wednesday (19), dozens of people applauded the athlete, in a show of solidarity. For a month now, Iran has been experiencing a series of protests against the death of Mahsa Amini, detained and beaten by the country's morality police because she left strands of her hair showing.
“The world and the Iranian people will be watching how they treat Elnaz Rekabi,” said US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel, adding that there was “information that the athlete had been the target of threats and intimidation.”
Heroin
“Elnaz is a hero,” protesters shouted upon Elnaz’s arrival.
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The climber was wearing a hoodie and a baseball cap. She was received by her family and later spoke to the state press. In an interview she said that she “forgot” the veil in her rush. On the internet, there were several reports that the athlete was forced to make this statement to the press by the Iranian government.
“Due to the atmosphere that existed during the final of the competition and the fact that I was unexpectedly called to start the climb, I got confused with my technical equipment and this led me to forget about the hijab,” she said.
Source: AFP
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