For this Iranian boxer, victory was bittersweet. Sadaf Khadem became Iran’s first woman boxer to win an international fight after she defeated Anne Chauvin of France on Saturday, but in her own country, the focus was instead on the 24-year-old’s clothes. Accused of violating the country’s dress code, Khadem’s spokesperson told Reuters that Iran authorities have issued an arrest warrant against her.
Wearing a green tank top with Iran written on in it and red shorts, this athlete has allegedly defied her country’s rule that female athletes should dress in line with Islamic law. Khadem and her trainer who were due to return to Teheran have halted their return from France fearing the arrest, reported The Guardian.
According to The Guardian, Khadem told a French newspaper: “I wasn’t wearing a hijab, I was coached by a man – some people take a dim view of this.”
The Boxing Federation has distanced itself from this issue Hossein Soori, the head of Iran’s boxing federation said “Khadem is not a member of (Iran’s) organized athletes for boxing, and from the boxing federation’s perspective all her activities are personal,” he was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.
