The head of Iran's athletics federation has resigned, state media said, after female runners participated in a marathon without wearing headscarves.Iran's state news agency IRNA said on Sunday that the head of the country's athletics federation resigned over a sporting event where women competed without the mandatory headscarf.

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"Hashem Siami resigned from his post due to the controversies that arose from the endurance [running] race organized in Shiraz" in southern Iran, IRNA said.

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On Saturday, images and footage shared on social media showed women running in sportswear without the obligatory hijab, which has been part of Iran's strict dress code for women since the 1980s.

Marathon organizers under fire

Siami's reported resignation came after the provincial prosecutor summoned the organizers of the marathon over what he called "destructive" action.

Mustafa Bahraini, the prosecutor, added that the "shortcomings, omissions and possible culpability of the officials" would be probed.

IRNA quoted Siami as saying that he had not been involved in organizing the event, and that the unveiled athletes were not part of the national federation.

Defying hijab enforcement

Iran has been rocked by protests since the death of Kurdish-Iranian woman Jina Mahsa Amini. The 22-year-old died in police custody after she was arrested for allegedly improperly wearing her hijab.

Amid the protests, images and media reports have shown that more women were defying Iran's enforcement of headscarf-wearing in public — and authorities continue to crack down on the phenomenon.

According to local media, Tehran authorities last week launched proceedings against at least four actors for appearing in public without the hijab.

Last month, officials said over 150 commercial establishments across Iran were closed after employees had allegedly violated the dress code.

fb/dj (AFP, DW sources)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 07, 2023 10:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).