Iranian athlete returns from Asian tournament amid veil controversy

An Iranian rock climber said on Tuesday her veil had fallen by mistake while competing in an international competition in South Korea, after she was widely assumed to have expressed support for protests in Iran. Footage taken of Elnaz Rekabi, 33, had shown her scaling a wall without her head covered during the Asian competition while representing Iran, which has been swept by protests ignited by Mahsa Amini's death in morality police custody.

An Iranian rock climber said on Tuesday her veil had fallen by mistake while competing in an international competition in South Korea, after she was widely assumed to have expressed support for protests in Iran.

Footage taken of Elnaz Rekabi, 33, had shown her scaling a wall without her head covered during the Asian competition while representing Iran, which has been swept by protests ignited by Mahsa Amini's death in morality police custody. In a statement posted on her Instagram account, Elnaz Rekabi said she was on her way back to Iran with the rest of the team.

Citing an informed source, BBC Persian had earlier reported that friends had been unable to contact her. Amini died last month while in the custody of the Islamic Republic's morality police who detained her for "inappropriate attire", prompting nationwide protests during which women have removed and burned headscarves.

The statement on Rekabi's Instagram page said "not wearing her headscarf during the competition in Seoul was unintentional ... there was poor scheduling and I was called her to climb unpredictably". Iran’s embassy in South Korea, on Twitter, denied reports about her going missing after the competition.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)