Iranian female climber says hijab 'fell off accidentally' at competition

Elnaz Rekabi, 33, was praised by those protesting against Iran's dress code after video emerged of her at the Asian Championships in South Korea on Sunday, Qazet.az reports citing BBC.

BBC Persian reported on Monday that friends had been unable to contact her.

On Tuesday, the Instagram post apologised for "getting everybody worried" and said she was flying home.

"Due to bad timing, and the unanticipated call for me to climb the wall, my head covering inadvertently came off," it explained.

The post added that she was on her way back to Iran "alongside the team based on the pre-arranged schedule".

Her brother was also quoted by the hard-line Tasnim news agency as saying she would "explain the details" at a news conference, and that she would continue to compete "wearing the shirt of the Iranian national team".