Authorities on Tuesday removed the head of the Iranian Federation of Sports for the Deaf after a female athlete appeared in a competition without wearing the mandatory headscarf.
The sportswoman failed to adhere to the mandatory veil, as stipulated by the country’s constitution, during a women’s competition in the Iranian capital, local media outlet, Iran Front Page, reported.
The controversy unfolded when footage of the Kazakhstani female runner participating at the Asian Championships in Tehran went viral.
“No explanation has been provided on the reason behind the female runner’s failure to observe the Islamic dress code,” the news website said.
Iranian Sports Minister Kioumars Hashemi announced the dismissal of Mehran Tishehgaran on Tuesday, appointing Alireza Khosravi as the federation’s caretaker.
Tishehgaran, defending the championships’ adherence to regulations, insisted that “no violation” occurred during the event, Iran’s ISNA news agency reported.
by Nadeem Faisal Baiga
“My dismissal is not legal, and I had permission from the Ministry of Sports and Youth to hold the Asian Championship,” he said.
The incident occurred amid a growing movement among Iranian women resisting the compulsory use of veil, a trend that gained momentum after the death in custody of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in September 2022.
Amini died in custody after being detained by the so-called moral police for not wearing a hijab properly.
Her death sparked widespread protests against the Islamic Republic, lasting for months until a government crackdown resulted in 500 deaths, the arrest of at least 22,000 people, and the execution of eight protesters.
In recent months, the Iranian government again intensified measures enforcing the mandatory headscarf, employing street patrols and proposing a law that increases penalties for those not covering their hair with a veil.
In October, Iranian teenager Armita Geravand died after spending 28 days in a coma following an alleged altercation with authorities for not wearing the Islamic headscarf on the Tehran metro
by Nadeem Faisal Baiga