Iranian competitive climber Elnaz Rekabi will not be punished or suspended after competing without her hijab.
Additionally, Rekabi has reportedly “returned to Iran safely and with her family,” according to the International Olympic Committee. The president of Iran’s national Olympic committee, Mahmoud Khosravi Vafa, told the Associated Press on Thursday that there wasn’t any reason to take disciplinary action against Rekabi.
Additionally, Khosravi Vafa said that Rekabi was “a guest at Iran’s Olympic committee hotel for one day, along with her family.” Iranian state media later published an image of Rekabi in a meeting, hours after her return. Khosravi Vafa said Rekabi is returning to her hometown on Thursday.
He called it an “unintentional” act on her part, echoing a statement issued by an Instagram account associated with Rekabi.
On the account, Rekabi said she was rushed to compete and forgot her hijab. Some thought that the statement was posted by someone other than Rekabi.
However, she reiterated the statement upon her arrival at the airport.
“It’s a small issue. I’m surprised that it is being talked about so much,” Khosravi Vafa said. “In our view it was not a big issue.”
Khosravi Vafa said that he had discussed the climber with IOC president Thomas Bach. He also said he had spoken with Rekabi.
“I talked to her and told her that you definitely are very talented in sports and you should continue down this path to maybe qualify for the Paris Olympics and you’ll be fully supported by the Iranian Olympic committee,” Khosravi Vafa said.
He did not address reports that Iranian authorities had seized Rekabi’s passport and forced her to leave early.
Protests over hijab laws have occurred in more than 100 cities in Iran, after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was arrested for wearing her hijab too loosely. She died on Sept. 16 while in police custody. While police have said she suffered a heart attack, Amini’s family has stated that she was healthy, and other reports have emerged claiming she was beaten by officials.
Elnaz Rekabi, an Iranian climber who competed without a hijab, returned to her home country’s capital of Tehran early Wednesday after concerns for her safety had been raised.
The 33-year-old got off a flight at Imam Khomeini International Airport, where she was greeted by crowds and cameras recording her arrival.
Rekabi flew back to Iran with her teammates after competing in South Korea for the International Federation of Sport Climbing’s Asia Championship, according to both Iranian and South Korean officials.
The International Federation of Sport Climbing said it had been in contact with Rekabi, but her family and friends told BBC Persia they hadn’t been able to reach her. This was cause for concern, as the Iranian government enforces a strict dress code for women, including athletes who are competing abroad.
Amid the concerns, Rekabi posted on her Instagram that she was with teammates and that not wearing the hijab during competition had been “unintentional.” But further concerts arose with the statement, as some thought it was posted by someone other than Rebaki.
When the climber arrived at the airport, she repeated the statement from the Instagram post and clarified the reason she did not wear hijab during her climb.
“Because I was busy putting on my shoes and my gear, it caused me to forget to put on my hijab and then I went to compete,” she told reporters. “I came back to Iran with peace of mind although I had a lot of tension and stress. But so far, thank God, nothing has happened.”
Her safe landing in Tehran comes after a source told BBC Persia that Rekabi’s phone and passport were seized by Iranian officials as she left South Korea.
Iran is in the midst of protests regarding the hijab laws, sparked when 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was arrested for wearing her hijab too loosely. She died on Sept. 16 after entering custody, with police claiming she had a heart attack. Her family, however, says Amini was healthy when she entered custody, and reports that she was beaten by officials have surfaced.
Concerns are growing over the safety of Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi after the 33-year-old did not wear a hijab during an international competition.
The Iranian government enforces a strict dress code for women, including athletes competing abroad.
The International Federation of Sport Climbing says it is “in contact” with Rebaki, who was returning to Iran after the Asian Championships in South Korea, but multiple reports have claimed she is missing.
“There is a lot of information in the public sphere regarding Ms. Rekabi and as an organization we have been trying to establish the facts,” the federation said in a statement. “We have also been in contact with Ms. Rekabi and the Iranian Climbing Federation.
“We will continue to monitor the situation as it develops on her arrival,” the statement continued.
According to BBC Persia, Rekabi’s loved ones have been unable to contact her for more than 24 hours.
Rekabi flew back to Iran on Tuesday with her teammates, according to both Iranian and South Korean officials. This was confirmed in individual statements from both the Iranian Embassy in Seoul and the South Korean foreign ministry.
An Instagram account that is said to be run by Rekabi posted a statement on its story apologizing for causing concern. The statement also said she didn’t intend to climb without her hijab, but that the garment “unintentionally had a problem.”
There are concerns, though, that the post was not made by Rekabi.
Iran is in the midst of protests regarding the hijab laws, sparked when 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was arrested for wearing her hijab too loosely. She died on Sept. 16 after entering custody, with police claiming she had a heart attack. Her family, however, says Amini was healthy when she entered custody, and reports that she was beaten by officials have surfaced.
Two women made Mount Everest history Thursday, as one became the youngest U.S. woman to summit and the other broke her own world record for most summits of the peak by a woman.
Lhakpa Sherpa reached the summit of the world’s highest peak for the 10th time on Thursday – marking the most times that any woman has climbed Everest. She broke her own record as the most successful female climber of Everest.
Also on the mountain was Lucy Westlake, a native of Naperville, Illinois. At 18 years, 6 months and 8 days, Westlake became the youngest U.S. woman – by a month – to reach the summit of Mount Everest. She surpasses the record held by Samantha Larson, who set the record in 2007 and has held it for 15 years.
Westlake began the trek on April 18 and reached the summit 25 days later.
“I came into the climb well-acclimated as I had spent the past five weeks training with some of the best distance runners in the world in the highlands of Kenya at 7,000 feet,” Westlake said in a news release. “I am a distance runner as well, so my fitness level helped to endure the long, difficult days on the mountain. I also have a lot of experience climbing so the challenges of Everest felt familiar.”
Westlake, at the age of 12 in 2016, became the youngest girl to climb the highest points of all 50 U.S. states with a summit of Denali in Alaska – the highest peak in North America – with her father, Rodney.
After her completion of Everest, Westlake could go on to become the youngest woman to complete the Explorers Grand Slam. The feat includes summiting the highest peaks on each continent and skiing the last degree to the North and South poles. Westlake has already summited Kilimanjaro (Africa), Elbrus (Europe), Denali (North America), Aconcagua (South America) and Everest (Asia).
She needs to reach the two poles and climb mountains on two continents – Carstensz Pyramid in Papua New Guinea, Oceania, and Mount Vinson in Antarctica – which she intends to complete in 2023.