Iranian climber Alanz Rakabi, who made headlines for becoming only the second woman from her country to appear in public without a head covering in a hijab, will not be punished or suspended by Iran's National Olympic Committee, an official said.
Rakabi went viral after footage emerged of her performance at the Asian Championship final in Seoul, without the traditional head covering required since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Some reports claimed that Rakabi was missing for 24-48 hours, leading to suspicion that she will not return to Iran like boxer Sadaf Khadem in 2019.
After landing back in her homeland, Rakabi received a hero's welcome, claiming that the act was "unintentional".
The president of Iran's National Olympic Committee, Mahmoud Khosrabi Vafa, argued that there was no reason to take disciplinary action against Rakbi because she did not intend to compete without the hijab.
"It's a small issue. I'm surprised it's being talked about so much," he said.
Khosrabi Vafa revealed that he discussed Rakabi's case with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach at the General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), and that he also spoke with Rakabi.
In addition, he claimed that she was a "guest at the hotel of the Olympic Committee of Iran for one day, together with her family."
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