Iranian sport climber Elnaz Rekabi has won more than 80 medals in her career. Photo: Facebook
Iranian sport climber Elnaz Rekabi has won more than 80 medals in her career. Photo: Facebook
Iranian sport climber Elnaz Rekabi has won more than 80 medals in her career. Photo: Facebook
Iranian sport climber Elnaz Rekabi has won more than 80 medals in her career. Photo: Facebook

Iranian climber competes without headscarf at international event


Holly Johnston
  • English
  • Arabic

An Iranian climber went against her country's strict dress code on Sunday, competing in South Korea without wearing a headscarf.

This comes amid weeks of massive protests following the death of a young woman in the custody of the morality police, after she was arrested for violating Iran's hijab rules.

Elnaz Rekabi, 33, is only the second Iranian female athlete to compete in public without wearing a hijab.

In a video that went viral on social media, she scaled a climbing wall with her hair tied back in a ponytail in the International Federation of Sport Climbing Asian Championships final.

The athlete, from Tehran, finished fourth at the event in South Korea's capital Seoul.

She previously won a bronze medal for boulder climbing at last year's competition and records show she has won more than 80 medals over the course of her career.

Protests continue across Iran, sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, in the custody of the morality police on September 16.

She had been held three days earlier for wearing her hijab “improperly”.

Human rights groups estimate at least 230 people have been killed in the subsequent unrest, including 32 minors.

While Rekabi was widely praised online, concern was also raised over the repercussions she will likely face at home.

“Very powerful statement,” Iranian journalist Sima Sabet said on Twitter.

“She might not be allowed to be part of the national team again, or be punished, but she showed the world how an Iranian woman looks like.”

Some commentators said she will face prosecution in Iran.

In 2019, boxer Sadaf Khadem became both the first Iranian woman to win a boxing match and the first to compete without a headscarf.

She cancelled her return flight to Tehran after a warrant was issued for her arrest.

Iran had only recently opened up sport to women, on condition that they were coached by a woman and compete wearing a hijab.

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ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand

UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final

The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer

Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000

Engine 3.6L V6

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm

Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23

UAE fixtures:
Men

Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final

Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final

The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors

Power: Combined output 920hp

Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic

Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km

On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025

Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000

Various Artists 
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
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Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
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Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

THE SPECS

Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine 

Power: 420kW

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Transmission: 8-speed automatic

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The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
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Updated: October 19, 2022, 7:36 AM`