A cheering crowd gathered at the Teheran airport early Wednesday morning to welcome home climber Elnaz Rekabi from her competition in South Korea.
Rekabi became a celebrity in Iran after she participated in the event without wearing her nation’s mandatory headscarf covering. The International Federation of Sport Climbing said Rekabi wore a hijab during her initial appearances at the one-week climbing event. She wore just a black headband in Sunday's final.
Her action came in the wake of nationwide protests over the Sept. 16 death of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, who was detained by Iranian morality police over her clothing.