Iran Olympic chief: No punishment for climber

SEOUL, South Korea -- The president of Iran's nationalist Olympic committee said Thursday that competitory climber Elnaz Rekabi volition not beryllium punished oregon suspended aft competing successful South Korea implicit the play without wearing her nation's mandatory headscarf.

Supporters of Rekabi, however, stay disquieted for the 33-year-old climber arsenic different athletes person been targeted by the authorities for supporting the weeks-long protests rocking Iran. Activists accidental information forces person killed implicit 200 radical and arrested thousands successful an ongoing crackdown connected dissent.

Speaking to The Associated Press successful Seoul, Mahmoud Khosravi Vafa said determination was nary crushed to instrumentality disciplinary measures against Rekabi due to the fact that not wearing a headscarf, oregon hijab, was an "unintentional" enactment connected her part.

An Instagram relationship associated with Rekabi besides described the determination arsenic "unintentional," and she did arsenic good aft reaching Tehran aboriginal Wednesday. She blamed being rushed to compete, though a video of her ascent Sunday appeared to amusement her relaxed and waving to the crowd.

"It's a tiny issue. I'm amazed that it is being talked astir truthful much," Khosravi Vafa said, contempt protests implicit the mandatory hijab reaching much than 100 cities successful Iran. "In our presumption it was not a large issue."

Khosravi Vafa said helium discussed Rekabi with International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach connected Wednesday connected the sidelines of the Association of National Olympic Committees General Assembly successful Seoul. Khosravi Vafa said helium spoke to Rekabi arsenic well.

"I talked to her and told her that you decidedly are precise talented successful sports and you should proceed down this way to possibly suffice for the Paris Olympics and you'll beryllium afloat supported by the Iranian Olympic committee," Khosravi Vafa said successful remarks made successful Farsi.

The IOC described Rekabi connected Wednesday arsenic having "returned to Iran safely and with her family."

Khosravi Vafa, however, described Rekabi arsenic being "a impermanent astatine Iran's Olympic committee edifice for 1 day, on with her family." It wasn't wide if Rekabi had a prime implicit the stay. An representation published by Iranian authorities media showed her successful a gathering hours aft returning to Tehran successful the aforesaid achromatic shot headdress and hoodie she wore aft her flights.

Rekabi is returning to her hometown Thursday, Khosravi Vafa said.

Khosravi Vafa didn't specifically code suspicions that Iranian authorities confiscated Rekabi's passport aft the lawsuit successful Seoul and forced her to permission early.

Rekabi's competing portion not wearing the hijab was seized connected by demonstrators who person protested for weeks successful the Islamic Republic. Hundreds of radical gathered extracurricular Imam Khomeini International Airport for her accomplishment and cheered a pistillate they called "Elnaz the Champion" and saw arsenic an inspiration for their continued protests.

Asked whether helium discussed the contented with Iranian delegates, Robin Mitchell, a Fijian sports authoritative who was elected the caller president of the Association of National Olympic Committees astatine the assembly Thursday, said they had not spoken and indicated helium wasn't alert the Iranians were astatine the meetings.

Iran has been swept by nationwide protests since the Sept. 16 decease of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been detained by the country's morality constabulary implicit her clothing.

The demonstrations, which person prompted women to region their hijabs successful public, person drawn school-age children, lipid workers and others to the streets and correspond the astir superior situation to Iran's theocracy since the wide protests surrounding its disputed 2009 statesmanlike election.