A female Iranian rock climber climber who competed in an oversea competition without a hijab has been forced to leave the country after facing persecution.
Elnaz Rekabi gained global attention in October 2022 when she took part in championships in South Korea without wearing the headscarf required for women in the Islamic republic.
Many took the move as a sign of solidarity for nationwide protests in September 2022 in her homeland sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody.
She returned home and largely vanished from public view, with some Persian-language media based outside Iran reporting she had been placed under house arrest and banned from competing abroad.
News of her departure from Iran was confirmed this week in an Instagram post by her brother Davood.
‘I wish this was a better place for you, so that missing you like this would not weigh on our hearts.’
Iranian news agency ISNA reported that she had moved to Spain and quoted the head of Iran’s National Olympic Committee Mehdi Alinejad as saying he was aware of Davood Rekabi’s Instagram post.
‘If they want to pursue their professional sports, they should be in Iran. The National Olympic Committee has supported Rekabi for the past two years, and she herself will acknowledge this,’ he told reporters on Tuesday.
A female Iranian rock climber climber, who was arrested after competing without a hijab, has been forced to leave the country
Elnaz Rekabi’s departure comes two years after her villa was destroyed just a few months after she competed without her headscarf. Pictured: Ruins of the home, allegedly razed over permit violations
But he added: ‘Everyone has the choice over where to live.’
It is not clear when and under what circumstances Elnaz Rekabi left Iran.
In another development, the International Federation for Sport Climbing announced last month that Rekabi has been appointed as the ‘athlete role model’ for sport climbing in the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar in 2026.
It said her role was confirmed in a meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland between the climber herself, IFSC president Marco Scolaris and International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach.
IranWire and other outlets have reported previously that the IOC had been closely watching her case and were deeply concerned over her inability to travel outside of Iran.
At the time of the incident she had issued an apology on Instagram and insisted her bare-headed appearance had been ‘unintentional’.
Some reports suggested she had been pressured by Iranian officials while in South Korea although this was vehemently denied by Iran’s Seoul embassy.
After her alleged disappearance and arrest following her return from Seoul, a source told IranWire: ‘Elnaz made her decision to appear without a hijab around a month ago and knew that she was going to compete without the mandatory hijab.
Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi, wearing a bandana, competes during the women boulder finals of the Asian Championships of the IFSC in Seoul, South Korea
Iranian competitive climber Elnaz Rekabi speaks to journalists upon her arrival at the Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran, Iran, on October 19, 2022
‘She did not seek asylum either because her husband is in Iran, and she wanted to return after the competition. She always makes such bold decisions.’
Reza Zarei, the head of Iran’s Climbing Federation, allegedly tricked her into the Iranian embassy in Seoul after receiving orders from Mohammad Khosravivafa, Iran’s Olympic Committee chairman.
Elnaz’s departure from Iran comes a two years after her villa was destroyed shortly after she competed in South Korea without her headscarf.
In an undated video, her brother was filmed sobbing by the ruins of a home with medals on the ground.
According to local media, the villa was not demolished as an act of retaliation against Ms Rekabi’s appearance in South Korea.
The Tasnim news agency said the house was razed by authorities before Ms Rekabi took part in the competition, adding Mr Rekabi did not hold the correct permit for its construction.
