Iranian competitive climber Elnaz Rekabi was placed on house arrest in Iran Friday after she competed without wearing a hijab in South Korea.
Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi competes without a hijab, in the Cypriot capital Nicosia on October 18, 2022. was placed on house arrest in Iran Friday after she competed without wearing a hijab in South Korea.
Though refusing to wear a hijab violates Tehran’s dress requirements for female athletes, president of Iran’s national Olympic committee, Khosravi Vafa, said Rekabi would not be penalized. "It’s a small issue. I’m surprised that it is being talked about so much," Vafa said. "In our view, it was not a big issue."
But it remains unclear whether Rekabi had a choice in staying at the hotel and images later surfaced showing her donning the same black baseball cap and hoodie that she wore after her flight during a meeting hours later.