Tehran government reacted harshly against an Iranian figure skater who competed abroad without wearing an Islamic headscarfwhile the Islamic Republic continues to be shaken by the protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, who died after her arrest by the religious police on charges of breaking the strict dress code. Niloufar Mardaniwho has been part of the Iranian track speed skating team for more than a decade, competed in Istanbul on Sunday and, at the time of the award ceremony, she showed up bareheaded and wearing black clothes with the words “Iran” presumably in solidarity with the victims of the crackdown on anti-government protests.
“Mardani took part in a skating competition in Turkey without authorization,” reacted the Iranian Ministry of Sport, quoted by the Fars news agency. “This athlete did not wear the uniform approved by the ministry”, adds in the note, specifying that Mardani “he is not part of the national team since last month “. According to the ministry, moreover, the skater took part on a” personal “basis in the competition in Istanbul, an event in which the Iranian national team did not participate. Iranian sportswomen are obliged to compete with the veil even during the events held abroad.
His episode I remember the one that took place in October with the Iranian Elnaz Rekabi as protagonist, who took part in a climbing competition in Seoul wearing only a bandana on her head, causing a sensation. Upon her return to Iran, she apologized by claiming that her hijab had dropped by mistake, although many believed her gesture was intentional.
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