MADRID, 10 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi has returned to compete for the first time since last year she caused a political uproar in her country and was persecuted for not wearing a headscarf, the traditional obligatory hijab in her country, and she has done so wearing the garment .
The 33-year-old climber missed out on the semifinals this week at an event held in Italy’s South Tyrol, finishing 41st in the bouldering competition. She was wearing the headscarf.
Last October, Rekabi competed at the Asian Championships in Seoul without the hijab, which is mandatory for Iranian athletes. After that, he temporarily disappeared and it was speculated that he was under house arrest and without access to a cell phone.
Rekabi became a symbol for those who protested against the Islamic republic. In fact, after the Asian Championships, she was received in Tehran shouting “heroin” by opponents of the regime, despite the fact that she always maintained that the hijab fell off “by accident”.