Elnaz Rakabi: Growing fears for an Iranian climber after she competed without a headscarf

CNN
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An Iranian climber, who did not wear a headscarf, left an international competition in South Korea Iran On Tuesday, Iranian groups based abroad raised concerns about their fate back home.

Elnaz Rakabi, 33, competed without a headscarf during the Asian Championships held in Seoul on Sunday. Videos of her wearing a headband and her hair in a ponytail during the competition went viral on social media.

Her return to Iran comes amid National protests in Iran Calling for more freedoms for women, continued(g) The death of a 22-year-old woman who died in police custody After she was arrested for allegedly wearing a headscarf inappropriately.

In a story posted on my passenger Instagram page on Tuesday, the player said she was called to climb the wall “unexpectedly” which “unintentionally” caused a problem with her hair cap.

“Because of poor timing and unexpectedly being called to climb the wall, I inadvertently created a problem with my headgear,” she wrote.

The IG story said, “I apologize for the concerns I’ve caused… Currently, as per the predetermined schedule, I will be returning to Iran with the team.”

Iran requires women to wear the headscarf when officially representing the country abroad.

A news website critical of the Iranian regime, IranWire, has claimed that my passengers will be taken to prison upon arrival. CNN has not been able to independently verify this claim.

The Iranian embassy in Seoul said Rikabi left on Wednesday with “other members of the team” and “strongly denied all the false news and false disinformation.”

The embassy posted on Twitter a photo of Rekapi from previous matches in Russia where she was competing while wearing a headscarf.

The International Federation of Sports Climbing (IFSC) said it was “fully aware of the news” about my runner and “understood” that she will be returning to Iran.

There is a lot of information in the public domain about Ms. Rakabi and as an organization we are trying to establish the facts. “We have also been in contact with Ms. Rekabi and the Iranian Climbing Association,” a statement from the IFSC said.

“We will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves as soon as it arrives,” the statement said.

In response to an investigation, the South Korean government said it could not reveal private information about whether someone had left the country.

Calls made to two of the Iranian team’s coaches who are currently in Seoul went unanswered.