According to Reuters reported on the 228th (local time) that Iranian chess players participated in international competitions without wearing headscarves for two consecutive days.
Reuters quoted Iranian media and witnesses as saying that at the chess championship hosted by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) in Almaty, Kazakhstan on the 26th, Iranian player Sarah Kadem (25 years old) did not wear a headscarf. The player was born in 1997. FIDE ranks 804th in the world, and Iran ranks 10th.
Iran has seen more than 100 days of anti-government demonstrations starting in mid-September. The sudden death of Mahasa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was detained for not wearing a hijab and died, triggered protests against the mandatory hijab.
After the demonstrations broke out, Iranian players participating in international competitions did not wear headscarves to support the anti-government demonstrations. At the International Rock Climbing Competition held in South Korea in October this year, Iranian athlete Elnaz Rekabi did not wear a headscarf. After the game, she said: "Actually, the headscarf fell off." However, some people questioned that the Iranian government forced her to say the above. Some people pointed out that she returned home earlier than scheduled and was escorted to Iran. It was also reported that the house of Rekabi's family was forcibly demolished earlier this month.
Recently at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar , the Iranian football team refused to sing the national anthem in unison in order to unite in demonstrations.
