MOSCOW, Oct 19 Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi says she forgot to wear a hijab to the competition, as she was suddenly called to perform, because of which she had to rush to put on her shoes and adjust her equipment. On Sunday, Rekabi participated in the Asian Climbing Championships in Seoul, finishing fourth in the all-around. Before the ascent, the 33-year-old athlete gathered her hair in a ponytail. In Iran, women are required to wear a headscarf that covers their hair, neck and shoulders in public. The BBC reported that on Monday, Rekabi's family and friends lost contact with the athlete after she said she was with an Iranian official, after which she left for her homeland a day ahead of schedule. «I was suddenly and unexpectedly called to competition when I was in the dressing room. I was busy putting on shoes and preparing ammunition, and forgot to put on the hijab that I should have worn,» she was quoted by the BBC. Rekaby also denied reports that she did not keep in touch with her family and friends and that she left South Korea ahead of schedule. «That's not the case. We returned to Iran exactly as planned,» she added. Rekabi became the second Iranian athlete to compete in public competitions without a hijab. Before that, Sadaf Khadem did this in 2019 at a boxing tournament. In Iran, women can play professional sports on the condition that they are coached by a woman and compete wearing the hijab. There have been protests and riots in Iran for several weeks earlier. Residents blamed the vice police for the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was detained for wearing a headscarf incorrectly. According to the official version, the girl had a heart attack during interrogation.
