[6] She made global headlines in 2022 when she violated Iran's mandatory hijab rule while participating in the 2022 IFSC Climbing Asian Championships in Seoul, South Korea.

[9][10] The same day, a post was made on her Instagram account which claimed that she would explain everything at a news conference and that she was traveling back to Iran alongside her fellow team members.

[11] BBC Persian reported that Rekabi's passport and mobile phone had been seized, and that her return flight from Seoul had been moved to depart a day earlier.

[6] On 19 October, Rekabi returned to Tehran, where, at Imam Khomeini International Airport, she reiterated her statement to state media before receiving a "hero's welcome" from cheering crowds chanting "Elnaz the champion", some of whom included unveiled women.

The source claimed the authorities threatened to take her family's property if she did not agree to make the "forced confession", and that Rekabi was put under house arrest following her return to Iran.