Friday, December 30, 2022

Iranian chess player ‘moving to Spain’ after competing without hijab: Report

Published on Dec 30, 2022 

Sara Khadem: Sara Khadem and her husband- film director Ardeshir Ahmadi- will move to Spain along with the couple’s young child, the report said.

Sara Khadem: Sara Khadem of Iran sits in front of a chess board. (Reuters)
Sara Khadem: Sara Khadem of Iran sits in front of a chess board. (Reuters)
ByMallika Soni

One of Iran’s top-ranked female chess players is planning to settle in Spain after photographs emerged of her taking part in an international tournament without a hijab, a report said. Sara Khadem, who is ranked 804 in the world, is not planning to return to Iran after the tournament, Guardian reported quoting Spanish newspaper El PaĆ­s.

Sara Khadem and her husband- film director Ardeshir Ahmadi- will move to Spain along with the couple’s young child, the report said. However, it remains unclear whether the family had already obtained residency. The newspaper reported that they own a flat in the country.

Sara Khadem, also known as Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, made headlines around the world when she appeared to play for a second day at the Fide World Rapid and Blitz Chess championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, without a hijab.

The player has become the latest in a string of sportswomen who defied Iran’s strict dress code for women amid anti-hijab protests which erupted in September.

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