Watch: Iranian climber who competed without hijab returns to jubilant crowd at Tehran airport
Elnaz Rekabi returns home.
#Elnaz_Rekabi arrived at Tehran,
— Sima Sabet | سیما ثابت (@Sima_Sabet) October 19, 2022
People went to greet her like a hero at the airport 3 am in the morning
She is a hero that challenged 43 years of imposed Islamic rules upon women over the course of few minutes acton
Well done girl
pic.twitter.com/S2fZaEpQIc
Here’s the train of people who went to greet #Elnaz_Rekabi at #Tehran international airport in the middle of the night at 4am.
— Samira Mohyeddin سمیرا (@SMohyeddin) October 19, 2022
They are chanting her name in the style of famed #Iranian football ⚽️ player @alikarimi_ak8
Little pockets of resistance everywhere #IranRevoIution pic.twitter.com/pMWdSIzJke
Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi received a hero’s welcome on her return to Tehran on Wednesday, after competing in South Korea without wearing a headscarf, mandatory for female athletes from the Islamic Republic. She was a participant in the International Federation of Sport Climbing’s Asian Championships.
Pictures and videos shared on social media platforms showed a large crowd at Imam Khomeini international airport outside Tehran to welcome the 33-year-old. Concerns were raised for the climber when she reportedly went missing after competing in Seoul.
Many took her public appearance without a headscarf as a sign of solidarity with the ongoing women-led protests in Iran over the custodial death of Mahsa Amini who was detained by the country’s morality police for not wearing a hijab.
However, after the competition, Rekabi, in an Instagram account attributed to her, issued an apology saying she competed without a hijab “accidentally”.
Iranian state media, including state TV, aired this interview of #Elnaz_Rekabi upon arrival. She pretty much said what she posted on her social media about her hijab "inadvertently" falling off due to a rushed call to compete.
— Ali Hamedani (@BBCHamedani) October 19, 2022
She looks and sounds highly nervous. #MahsaAmini pic.twitter.com/2yYPWKfyRr
On #Elnaz_Rekabi Instagram story reads:
— Sima Sabet | سیما ثابت (@Sima_Sabet) October 18, 2022
apologies for worrisome created”based on the existing sensitivities in the final round of Asian championship, due to inappropriate timing and being called unexpectedly, my hijab unintentionally had problem”
1/#MahsaAmini pic.twitter.com/Z7jFu5A4xz