Iranian Athlete Elnaz Rekabi Will Be Jailed for Competing Without Hijab

An Iranian rock climber who appeared without a hijab while competing in South Korea will be jailed, a news organization in the country has reported.

On Sunday, 33-year-old Elnaz Rekabi made headlines during the Asian Championships climbing competition in Seoul when she competed without a head covering, which Iran's government requires women to wear. The hijab is even required during sporting competitions when they are representing the country abroad, per CNN.

Footage of Rekabi's climb was shared on social media, with many saying her appearance was likely an "act of defiance" against the requirement.

According to the New York Times, Rekabi returned to Iran with her team on Tuesday. A post to her Instagram page later said that she did not wear a hijab during her climb because of "bad timing."

"Due to bad timing, and the unanticipated call for me to climb the wall, my head covering inadvertently came off," the message said, per a translation shared by BBC.

The message said Rekabi was "alongside the team based on the pre-arranged schedule".

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A correspondent at BBC Persian told the network that the wording of Rekabi's message made it appear as if it were written by someone under intimidation. Iran has previously been criticized for forcing people, often activists, into making public forced confessions.

The controversy over Rekabi's lack of hijab comes as protests continue throughout Iran after the death of a 22-year-old woman, who authorities arrested for allegedly wearing her hijab too loosely, according to CNN.

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Iranian news outlet IranWire reported on Tuesday that Rekabi will be jailed by authorities after her return to the country. IranWire said the government has required women to wear a hijab since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

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An International Federation of Sport Climbing official told CNN that they were "aware" of Rekabi's ordeal.

"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. We have also been in contact with Ms. Rekabi and the Iranian Climbing Federation," a statement by the IFSC said.

They added: "We will continue to monitor the situation as it develops on her arrival."