Elnaz Rekabi, the Iranian climber who competed in an international competition in South Korea without wearing a headscarf, returned home to a hero’s welcome on Wednesday as her supporters flocked to the airport to greet her.
Amid fears that she had gone missing, the athlete said on Tuesday her “clothing had a problem by mistake”. The Instagram statement raised suspicions she had been forced to distance herself from what the Iranian authorities viewed as an act of civil disobedience in support of protests that swept the country after a young woman died in custody after violating the Islamic state’s dress code.
As Rekabi arrived back in Tehran, a crowd that included veteran Iranian climber Abbas Alinejad, chanted “Heroine Elnaz”. Alinejad was heard urging people to welcome her “peacefully” without putting her “at risk”.
“I’m back to Iran thoroughly safe and sound,” the 33-year-old athlete told state media upon her arrival. “I apologise Iranian people because of the tensions and concerns I created . . . I had a lot of stress but nothing has happened so far.”
There had been expectations that the airport gathering might become another protest against the government but the crowd who turned out did not start any anti-regime chants.
Rekabi rejected reports that appeared in Persian-speaking broadcast media overseas saying she had disappeared after competing in Seoul where she came fourth at the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Championships. “It is not true at all that there was no news on me for 48 hours. We are back according to our pre-planned schedule,” she said.
Rekabi explained that she was in the women’s section before her match “busy with my technical stuff and shoes” when she was “unexpectedly” called in to start her match. “Hence, I neglected my hijab and climbed the wall.” She said she would continue competing in future competitions “and hope to achieve more successes” than this time.
Iranian authorities have blamed celebrities from Iran’s sports and film world for fanning the nationwide protests which have swept through the country since a 22-year-old Kurdish woman died in the custody of morality police.
Mahsa Amini was arrested last month for allegedly failing to fully observe the hijab. Since her death on September 16, at least 41 people involved in the protests have died. Amnesty International has put the number of deaths at 144, including 23 teenagers.
Rekabi’s brother told the Tasmin news agency, affiliated to the Revolutionary Guards, on Tuesday that his sister had not violated the Islamic dress code because she was wearing a black headband when she competed. “My sister . . . is a child of Iran and loves this land,” Davoud Rekabi said.
