Fans cheer, clap as climber who competed without headscarf returns to Iran

Dubai: Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi, who caused controversy by competing in an international contest without a headscarf, has returned to Iran to cheering supporters, reiterating in comments to state media that she had unintentionally climbed without a hijab.

Footage had shown Rekabi, 33, scaling a wall without her head covered while competing in South Korea while representing Iran, which has been swept by protests ignited by Mahsa Amini’s death in morality police custody.

In comments to state TV upon her arrival in Tehran, Rekabi said she had returned in “full health” and apologised to “the people of Iran for the turbulence and worry that I created”, her head covered by a baseball cap and a hood as she spoke.

“The struggle that I had with wearing my shoes and preparing my gear made me forget about the proper hijab that I should have had, and I went to the wall and ascended,” she added.

A crowd of well-wishers cheered, clapped and recorded the scene on mobile phones as she was driven away from the airport, according to footage posted on Twitter.

In a statement published on her Instagram account on Tuesday, Rekabi cited poor scheduling as the reason she had competed without a headscarf, saying she had been called to climb unexpectedly.

In her televised comments Rekabi, who came fourth in the competition, denied she had been unreachable for 48 hours, and said the team had returned to Iran as planned. She said she had no plan to quit the national team.