The president of Iran’s national Olympic committee claimed Thursday that competitive climber Elnaz Rekabi will not be punished or suspended after competing in South Korea over the weekend without wearing her nation’s mandatory headscarf.
Supporters of Rekabi, however, remain worried for the
33-year-old climber as other athletes have been targeted by the government for
supporting the weekslong protests rocking Iran. Activists say security forces
already have killed over 200 people and arrested thousands in an ongoing
crackdown on dissent.
Speaking to The Associated Press in the South Korean capital
of Seoul, Mahmoud Khosravi Vafa said there was no reason to take disciplinary
measures against Rekabi because not wearing a headscarf, or hijab, was an
“unintentional” act on her part.
An Instagram account associated with Rekabi also described
the decision as “unintentional,” and she did as well after reaching Tehran
early Wednesday. She blamed being rushed to compete, though a video of her
climb Sunday showed her relaxed and waving to the crowd.
“It’s a small issue. I’m surprised that it is being talked
about so much,” Khosravi Vafa said, despite protests over the mandatory hijab
reaching over 100 cities in Iran so far. “In our view it was not a big issue.”
Khosravi Vafa said he discussed Rekabi with International
Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach on Wednesday on the sidelines of the
Association of National Olympic Committees General Assembly in Seoul. Khosravi
Vafa said he spoke to Rekabi as well.
“I talked to her and told her that you definitely are very
talented in sports and you should continue down this path to maybe qualify for
the Paris Olympics and you’ll be fully supported by the Iranian Olympic
committee,” he added in remarks made in Farsi.
The International Olympic Committee described Rekabi on
Wednesday as having “returned to Iran safely and with her family.”
Khosravi Vafa, however, described Rekabi as being “a guest
at Iran’s Olympic committee hotel for one day, along with her family.” It wasn’t
clear if Rekabi had a choice over the stay. A later image published by Iranian
state media showed her in a meeting hours after returning to Tehran in the same
black baseball cap and hoodie she wore after her flights.
Khosravi Vafa said Rekabi would return to her hometown
Thursday.
Rekabi’s competition without a hijab was seized upon by
demonstrators who have protested for weeks in the Islamic Republic. Hundreds of
people gathered outside Imam Khomeini International Airport for her arrival and
cheered a woman they called “Elnaz the Champion” and saw as an inspiration for
their continued protests.
When asked whether he discussed the issue with Iranian
delegates, Robin Mitchell, a Fijian sports official who was elected the new
president of the Association of National Olympic Committees at the assembly on
Thursday, said they had not spoken and indicated he wasn’t aware the Iranians
were at the meetings.
Khosravi Vafa didn’t specifically address suspicions that
Iranian authorities confiscated Rekabi’s passport after the event in Seoul and
forced her to leave early.
Iran has been swept by nationwide protests since the Sept.
16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been detained by the country’s
morality police over her clothing.
The demonstrations, which have prompted women to remove
their hijabs in public, have drawn school-age children, oil workers and others
to the streets and represent the most serious challenge to Iran’s theocracy
since the mass protests surrounding its disputed 2009 presidential election.
Khosravi Vafa said he discussed Rekabi with International
Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach on Wednesday on the sidelines of the
Association of National Olympic Committees General Assembly in Seoul. Khosravi
Vafa said he spoke to Rekabi as well.
“I talked to her and told her that you definitely are very
talented in sports and you should continue down this path to maybe qualify for
the Paris Olympics and you’ll be fully supported by the Iranian Olympic
committee,” he added in remarks made in Farsi.
The International Olympic Committee described Rekabi on
Wednesday as having “returned to Iran safely and with her family.”
Khosravi Vafa, however, described Rekabi as being “a guest
at Iran’s Olympic committee hotel for one day, along with her family.” It
wasn’t clear if Rekabi had a choice over the stay. A later image published by
Iranian state media showed her in a meeting hours after returning to Tehran in
the same black baseball cap and hoodie she wore after her flights.
Khosravi Vafa said Rekabi would return to her hometown
Thursday.
Rekabi’s competition without a hijab was seized upon by
demonstrators who have protested for weeks in the Islamic Republic. Hundreds of
people gathered outside Imam Khomeini International Airport for her arrival and
cheered a woman they called “Elnaz the Champion” and saw as an inspiration for
their continued protests.
When asked whether he discussed the issue with Iranian
delegates, Robin Mitchell, a Fijian sports official who was elected the new
president of the Association of National Olympic Committees at the assembly on
Thursday, said they had not spoken and indicated he wasn’t aware the Iranians
were at the meetings.
Khosravi Vafa didn’t specifically address suspicions that
Iranian authorities confiscated Rekabi’s passport after the event in Seoul and
forced her to leave early.
Iran has been swept by nationwide protests since the Sept.
16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been detained by the country’s
morality police over her clothing.
The demonstrations, which have prompted women to remove
their hijabs in public, have drawn school-age children, oil workers and others
to the streets and represent the most serious challenge to Iran’s theocracy
since the mass protests surrounding its disputed 2009 presidential election. -AP
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