(CNN) – Iranian website “Jamran” said on Tuesday that chess player Sarah Khadem, also known as Sara Sadat Khadem al-Sharia, participated in an international tournament without a headscarf.
Khadim is the latest athlete to appear in a competition without a veil since anti-government protests erupted in September over the death of young Mahsa Amini (22) while in the custody of the “moral” police, who arrested her for having wore “inappropriate clothes”.
And the player appeared in the photos published by the site without the veil, mandatory for the Iranian dress code, during her participation in an international tournament in Kazakhstan.
CNN reached out to the player via her Instagram account, asking for comment.
Interestingly, Sara Khadem, born in 1997, ranks 804th among players in the world and 10th in Iran, according to the International Chess Federation.
In October, Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi competed in South Korea without wearing a headscarf, which she later claimed was dropped by mistake. However, it is unclear whether Elnaz Rekabi’s remarks were made under duress.
In November, Iranian archer Parmida Ghasemi showed her support for anti-government protests by removing her headscarf at an awards ceremony in Tehran, and later said she didn’t notice it falling off.
A video shared on social media shows her dropping her veil, which was widely interpreted as supporting the demonstrations.
“Athletes who acted against Islamic norms regret their actions afterwards and look for an opportunity to make up for their mistake,” Iran’s Deputy Sports Minister Maryam Kazhimipour said in November.
