A crowd at Tehran airport greeted an Iranian sport climber competing without a headscarf at a competition held in South Korea, calling her a, “heroine”.
The 33-year-old Iranian climber broke Iran’s strict dress code but later said her hijab fell off “accidentally”.
Iran is obsessed with protests against the hijab law and its clerical leaders.
The dress code imposes that Iranian women must cover their heads with a scarf and their arms and legs with loose clothing. Female athletes must also follow the rules when officially representing Iran at international competitions.
Rekabi flew in before dawn on Wednesday from South Korea, where she was competing at the IFSC Asian Championships.
Her family met her at the airport and she was hugged and given some of her bouquets. She had her hair covered in her black baseball cap and hoodie.
Videos on social media show hundreds of supporters outside the terminal clapping and chanting, “Elnaz is a heroine” as she reached her city.
Rekabi said she had “extreme reactions” to a video of her performance in a ponytail, leaving her feeling “stressed and nervous.” she said.
“Thank God I am safely back in Iran and I apologize to the people of Iran for the confusion and concern.” She denied the reports and left South Korea earlier than planned.
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