Climber Elnaz Rekabi will not be punished Iran says
Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi will not be fined or suspended after competing without a headscarf in South Korea, the country's Olympic Committee President Mahmoud Khosravi Vafa said on Thursday. Rekabi, 33, competed in the International Sport Climbing Federation in Asia without a headscarf. Championships on Sunday in Seoul. She said her hijab accidentally fell off. Rekabi's supporters remain concerned for her as other athletes have been harassed by the government for supporting the
Week protests in Iran. Activists say security forces have already
killed more than 200 people and arrested thousands while cracking down
on dissidents.
Mr Khosravi Vafa told there was no reason to take disciplinary action against Rekabi as not wearing her headscarf on an Instagram account linked to Rekabi also described the incident as "unintentional". After returning to Tehran early Wednesday, he doubled down on the statement, blaming a sense of rush to begin his climb. However, video captured during Sunday's competition showed her relaxing and waving to the crowd
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