Paris Olympics: 4 Iran-born female athletes who have defected and will compete in Paris

The coming Paris Olympics will see talented athletes from 206 countries striving for medals under their national banners – but not for the members of the Refugee Olympic Team, or the almost 40 per cent of whom come from Iran.

For more than a decade after the Islamic Republic was established in 1979, women were barred from international sports. Public pressure eventually led authorities to permit their participation in the 1990 Beijing Asian Games, provided they could cover their hair and body.

Dozens of Iranian athletes, many of them women, have fled their homeland citing obstacles such as the mandatory hijab, social discrimination, political interference, and limited access to training facilities, coaching, funding and opportunities to compete internationally.

Here’s a look at some of the most notable Iranian female athletes who have defected and who will be showcasing their talents under different flags at the Paris Olympics.

Kimia Alizadeh

Iran’s first and only female Olympic medallist, Kimia Alizadeh, announced her defection in January 2020, describing herself as “one of the millions of oppressed women in Iran”.