Here’s the latest: Rekabi arrived in Tehran early on Wednesday morning, and on social media she posted this:
“Due to bad timing and unexpectedly being called to climb the wall, I inadvertently created a problem with my head covering,” she wrote.
“Apologizing for the worries that I caused … currently, according to the pre-determined schedule I am returning to Iran with the team,” the IG story post said.
She reiterated that she had “accidentally” competed without a jihab in an interview with state media IRNA on her arrival in Tehran on Wednesday.
“Regarding this topic, as I already explained on my social media stories – it totally happened accidentally,” Rekabi said, when asked by the interviewer about the incident.
“I was unexpectedly called upon and I attended the competition. I somehow got busy with the equipment, and it made me negligent to the hijab,” she continued.
It is unclear whether her comments were made under duress, however.