Iranian athlete Fasiheh Radmanesh appeared in Antalya, Turkey, on the podium of a Thai boxing competition wearing the mandatory hijab but displaying the protest slogan ‘Women, Life, Freedom’.
The words have become famous all over the world in the light of the demonstrations that have been shaking the Islamic Republic for almost three months following the death of Mahsa Amini. Radmanesh, with the three words drawn on his face, dedicated his third place in the competition to the “freedom-loving people of Iran”.
Several athletes have expressed solidarity with the ongoing protests, harshly repressed by the regime, and have been threatened or forced to retract. In recent days, the family home of Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi was demolished who came to prominence last fall when she competed bareheaded, without the headscarf, in South Korea, at the Asian Sport Climbing Championships.
