Iran denounces skater who flouted hijab rule abroad amid protests

Niloufar Mardani is the latest athlete to not follow Iran’s hijab rules when competing abroad, in what has been interpreted as support for anti-government protests.

Iran denounces skater who flouted hijab rule abroad amid protests

By Maziar Motamedi

Tehran, Iran – Iranian authorities have denounced a professional skater who competed abroad without adhering to the country’s mandatory hijab rules amid protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini.

Protests that erupted following 22-year-old Amini’s death in the custody of the country’s so-called morality police, after she was arrested for alleged non-compliance with a mandatory dress code, are approaching the end of their second month.

On Sunday, Niloufar Mardani, who has been a member of the national Iranian speed skating team for years, stepped on a podium in Turkey to receive her first-place award while not wearing a headscarf – as is mandatory for female athletes representing Iran even when competing outside of the country.

A picture circulating on social media of Mardani on the podium in Istanbul also showed her wearing a black shirt with the word “Iran” on it.

In a short statement, Iran’s sports ministry emphasised “maintaining Islamic values in sports competitions” and said Mardani had not competed in clothing approved by the ministry.

“This athlete has not been a member of the Iranian national team since last month and attended this competition as part of a personal trip without obtaining necessary permits,” the statement said, before adding that the Iranian team had not participated in the tournament.

Last month, professional rock climber Elnaz Rekabi represented the Iranian national team in an international tournament in South Korea while not wearing a headscarf, making headlines across the globe.

A crowd had gathered to welcome her in the early hours of the morning when her flight touched down in Tehran as some believed she had taken her veil off in an act of defiance. In an interview with state television at the airport, Rekabi apologised and said that there had been an “inadvertent” issue with her hijab as she had been quickly called to compete.

The issue of the hijab has featured prominently in the country’s ongoing protests, with videos online showing some women burning their veils or cutting their hair.

But male athletes have also made headlines in recent weeks as footballers have repeatedly refused to celebrate after scoring goals in the country’s league matches.