An Iranian climber who took half in a global competitors with out carrying a hijab has insisted it was “fully unintentional”.

Carrying the hijab is obligatory for feminine athletes from the Islamic Republic, however on the occasion in South Korea on Sunday Elnaz Rekabi didn’t put on one.

It follows a wave of protests in Iran over the previous month which had been sparked by the demise of Mahsa Amini who was detained by the nation’s morality police over her clothes.

For the reason that 22-year-old’s demise, girls in Iran have been eradicating their hijabs in public to make a stand.

The demonstrations characterize essentially the most critical problem to Iran’s theocracy because the mass protests surrounding its disputed 2009 presidential election.

After receiving a hero’s welcome on her return to Iran on Wednesday, Ms Rekabi instructed a state TV reporter: “If I wish to clarify I ought to say that the whole lot conforms to what I defined on the web. It was fully unintentional. I feel my (Instagram) story absolutely defined this.

“I used to be unexpectedly known as and I needed to compete. I used to be busy placing on my sneakers and technical gear and that brought on me to overlook placing on the hijab I needed to be carrying. Then I went to compete.

“Happily, I got here again to Iran with peace of thoughts, though I went via quite a lot of stress and stress, to date, thank God, nothing has occurred.”

Advised by the reporter about rumours that nobody knew about her whereabouts for between 24 and 48 hours, Ms Rekabi replied: “No. This did not occur. We got here again to Iran in line with the plan. Till this second the whole lot has been occurring in line with the plan.”

An Instagram submit on an account attributed to the athlete on Tuesday described her not carrying a hijab as unintended – although it was not clear whether or not she wrote it.

The Iranian authorities routinely pressures activists at dwelling and overseas, usually airing what rights teams describe as coerced confessions on state tv.

The submit that appeared on Instagram apologised for “getting everyone anxious” and defined: “As a result of I used to be busy placing on my sneakers and my gear, it brought on me to overlook to placed on my hijab, after which I went to compete.”

Video shared on-line appeared to indicate giant crowds gathered early on Wednesday at Imam Khomeini Worldwide Airport exterior of Tehran, the sanctioned nation’s principal gateway overseas.

The 33-year-old athlete was seen strolling into one of many airport’s terminals, filmed by state tv cameras, and carrying a black baseball cap and a black hoodie overlaying her hair. She obtained flowers from an onlooker.

Outdoors, she apparently entered a van and slowly was pushed via the gathered crowd, who cheered her. It wasn’t clear the place she went after that.

A pal and former member of the nationwide mountaineering group has mentioned she is “very involved” for Rekabi.

In a press release shared on Instagram, Zeinab Moosavi mentioned: “Contemplating all of the occasions which have occurred, all of Iran and the world are anxious about Elnaz’s situation after her arrival in Iran.”