London-based NGO Iran International reported today, Saturday, that Iranian figure skater Atefe Ahmadi, who competed in the 2022 Olympics, left her country and sought asylum in Germany. Atefe Ahmadi, 22, is the only Iranian figure. figure skater who qualified for the Beijing Winter Olympics.
“I left Iran to achieve my goal, but my heart is with Iran,” the NGO athlete said.
Iran has witnessed a protest movement following the death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, three days after she was arrested by the “vice police” on September 16 for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code, which requires women to wear a veil in public.
Authorities commonly refer to these protests as “riots” encouraged by states and organizations hostile to Iran.
Security forces have killed at least 488 people during demonstrations, including 64 minors, according to the latest figures released by the Norwegian-based Organization for Human Rights in Iran.
Atefeh Ahmadi lamented that when she applied for a visa through the Iranian Ski Federation, she was asked to provide a “document of title as a guarantee”.
She also lamented that she “favored the men’s ski team” and complained about surveillance by Iranian security services when traveling abroad.
Iranian news agency Tasnim quoted Abbas Nazarian, the head of the Iranian Ski Federation, as saying that her departure “was a personal decision and appears to have been planned for some time.”
Atefe Ahmadi is not the first athlete to leave Iran. In December, chess player Sara Khadem fled to Spain after participating in an international tournament without a hijab.
In 2020, taekwondo player Kimia Alizadeh, the only Olympic medalist in the history of the sport in Iran, left her country for the Netherlands.
