Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi has thanked her supporters at dwelling and overseas following her return to a hero’s welcome in Tehran this week after competing overseas with no hijab.
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Rekabi, 33, wore solely a scarf throughout a contest occasion on the Asian Championships in Seoul final Sunday, in breach of the Islamic republic’s gown guidelines requiring all Iranian girls — together with feminine athletes competing overseas — to put on a scarf.
The transfer was seen by some as a gesture of solidarity with weeks of protests which have erupted in Iran following the dying of Mahsa Amini, 22, after her arrest in Tehran for allegedly violating the nation’s gown code.
“I sincerely thank all those that got here to the airport for welcoming me, I really like you,” Rekabi mentioned in her first social media feedback since returning to Iran.
Dozens of individuals cheering and clapping welcomed the climber at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Worldwide Airport on Wednesday.
“I’m endlessly grateful for the help of you, all of the individuals of Iran, probably the most respectable individuals of the planet, athletes and non-athletes, and all of your helps in (the) worldwide neighborhood,” Rekabi mentioned on her Instagram account in a single day Friday into Saturday.
“What I’ve gained until as we speak was relating to the caring of you lovely souls,” she mentioned within the publish, revealed in Persian and English.
Rekabi started the message with a quote from the late Iranian poet Ahmad Shamlou, alluding to people current as a part of a neighborhood. She signed off with: “Me; the individuals, Iran”.