Topline
Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi—who competed at an event in Korea without wearing the headscarf mandated for all Iranian female athletes—was cheered on by a large crowd of supporters upon her arrival at the Tehran airport on Wednesday, amid nationwide protests across Iran over the death of a 22-year-old woman at the hands of the country’s morality police.
Iranian athlete Elnaz Rekabi competes during the women’s Boulder & Lead final during the IFSC … [+]
Key Facts
Rekabi, who arrived at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Airport from Seoul, was greeted with applause and chants of “Elnaz is a heroine.”
The climber, who was wearing a black cap and a hoodie, was then hugged by her family and handed a bunch of flowers.
In an interview with Iranian State TV, Rekabi reiterated that her dressing choice was “unintentional” and her headscarf fell off “inadvertently” as

