Iranian athlete who competed without hijab apologizes as concern grows | World news

Iranian runner Elnaz Rekabi, who broke Iran’s Islamic laws by competing in an international competition without a hijab, apologized on Tuesday as she returned to Tehran.

Rekabi has apologized to the unverified Instagram account @elnaz.rekabi via an Instagram story only, news agencies reported. The post was posted in his native language which loosely translates to: “Due to an inopportune time, and an unforeseeable call for me to climb the wall, there is an unexpected problem with my headgear,” the post said. He also said that Rekabi was flying back to Iran “according to a pre-arranged schedule.” Later on Tuesday, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that the Iranian athlete and his team had left the country, without explanation.

Elnaz Rekabi officially represented the Islamic government without wearing the hijab – mandatory for all Iranian female athletes since 1979, at the Asian long distance championships in the South Korean capital on October 16.

Videos of Rekabi scaling an indoor wall, with her ponytail out and up, went viral on Twitter and other social media platforms.

The decision by Elnaz Rekabi, a multiple seller in competitions, to forget the hijab comes as the protests caused by the death of September 16 in custody of a 22-year-old woman entered the fifth week. Mahsa Amini was detained by the country’s moral police because of her clothes.

Includes inputs from news agencies