Who Is Elnaz Rekabi? Family Home Of Iranian Sports Climber Demolished

The family home of Elnaz Rekabi - an Iranian climber who competed abroad with her hair uncovered - has reportedly been demolished. Rekabi, 33, broke Iran's mandatory dress code at the South Korea contest but later said her headscarf had fallen off "inadvertently".

A video showing the ruins of a house with sports medals on the ground started circulating this week. Davood - Elnaz Rekabi's brother and also an athlete - is seen crying in the video. Iran's news agency confirmed that the house has been demolished, but says this was due to the family not having a valid permit for its construction adding that this took place before Elnaz Rekabi competed without a headscarf in October.

Iranian athlete Elnaz Rekabi wass reportedly missing after she defied the state regime's mandatory hijab rule during a rock climbing competition. The 33-year-old sportsperson was competing in the International Federation of Sport Climbing's Asian Championships in Seoul, South Korea.

Rekabi, who came fourth, was dubbed courageous after she was seen without a hijab during the competition. Wearing the hijab is mandatory for female Iranian athletes when they compete overseas, and Rekabi's declining to don the headscarf was widely seen as a historic show of solidarity with the women-led protests mounting in Iran.

On Monday night, sources close to Rekabi told BBC Persia that they had been unable to contact her. Her passport and mobile phone were also taken, per the outlet. However, BBC Presenter Rana Rahimpour later tweeted that Rekabi was on a flight to Iran two days earlier than planned and concerns about her safety were on rise.

Who is Elnaz Rakebi?

In 2016, Rakebi became the first Iranian female to compete full-time in the International Federation of Sport Climbing World Cup.

The athlete in an interview had opened up on her journey and said she had financed her own career all the while trying to overcome gender discrimination.

Rekabi said: ‘‘My friends congratulate me and encourage me to continue. But it is true that every time people ask me about what I do they are stunned. A female climber? But on a positive note, it does help other girls to come out and practice this sport. There are no home female climbers better than me and I am not allowed to train with men.’‘

In 2021, she won a bronze and became Iran's first woman to win a medal at the IFSC World Championships.

Iranian citizen journalism website IranWire reported that Rekabi will be directly transferred to Evin Prison once she arrives in Tehran. Rekabi was summoned to the Iranian embassy in Seoul after being told by a sporting official that she would be granted safe travel to Iran, an unnamed source told the outlet.

"Elnaz decided to appear without a hijab around a month ago and knew that she was going to compete without the mandatory hijab. She did not seek asylum either because her husband is in Iran, and she wanted to return after the competition. She always makes such bold decisions," the source added, according to IranWire.

Iranian women are taking to the streets and protesting in the wake of Mahsa Amini’s death, who died after being taken into Iran's moral police custody. The resulting protests have seen women marching on city streets, removing their headscarves in acts of defiance and cutting hair.

Suggested Reading: Women-Led Protests In Iran Gather Momentum, Will It Bring Change?