Key Points
- Iranian professional rock climber Elnaz Rekabi has been reported missing after competing in South Korea.
- The athlete competed at the International Federation of Sport Climbing's Asian Championships without wearing a hijab.
An online post on the account of an Iranian climber has offered an apology after she appeared without a headscarf at a competition in South Korea.
Farsi-language media outside Iran warned that Elnaz Rekabi may have been forced to leave early by Iranian officials and could face arrest back home, which Tehran quickly denied.
An Instagram story on the 33-year-old's account on Tuesday said: "I apologise about what I did to make you worry."
It also claimed that she was rushed at the competition, although video of the event in Seoul showed her relaxed before she reached the climbing wall. The post described her as "unintentionally" not wearing her hijab.
The post also claimed that she was going back to Iran on a pre-arranged schedule.
Did Iran seize Elnaz Rekabi's phone and passport?
Rekabi's actions came as protests in Iran, sparked by the death in custody of a 22-year-old woman, have entered a fifth week.
Mahsa Amini died in custody on 16 September after being arrested by the country's morality police for allegedly not wearing her hijab properly.
Since the 1979 Iranian revolution, all women in Iran are legally required to wear a hijab.
The demonstrations, drawing school-age children, oil workers, and others to the streets, represent the most serious challenge to Iran's theocracy since the mass protests surrounding its disputed 2009 presidential election.
Rekabi left Seoul on a Tuesday morning flight, the Iranian Embassy in South Korea said.
The BBC's Persian service, which has extensive contacts within Iran despite being banned from operating there, quoted an unnamed "informed source" who described Iranian officials as seizing both Rekabi's mobile phone and passport.
BBC Persian also said she had initially been scheduled to return on Wednesday, but her flight had apparently been moved unexpectedly.
IranWire - another website focusing on the country, founded by Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari who was once detained by Iran - alleged that Rekabi would be immediately transferred to Tehran's notorious Evin Prison after arriving in the country.
Iranian embassy hits out at 'fake, false news and disinformation'
In a tweet, the Iranian Embassy in Seoul denied "all the fake, false news and disinformation" regarding Rekabi's departure on Tuesday.
But instead of posting a photo of her from the Seoul competition, it posted an image of her wearing a headscarf at a previous competition in Moscow, where she also won a bronze medal.
Rekabi did not put on a hijab during Sunday's final at the International Federation of Sport Climbing's Asia Championship, according to the Seoul-based Korea Alpine Federation, the organisers of the event.
But federation officials said she did wear a hijab during her initial appearances at the one-week climbing event. Rekabi was a member of Iran's 11-member delegation, which comprises of eight athletes and three coaches.
Iranian women's participation in sports events has historically been restricted, with athletes competing abroad under the Iranian flag always wearing the hijab.
Federation officials said they were not initially aware of Rekabi competing without the hijab but looked into the case after receiving inquiries about her.
They said the event does not have any rules on requiring female athletes to wear or not wear headscarves.
Rekabi has finished on the podium three times in the Asian Championships, taking one silver and two bronze medals.
