Kimia Alizadeh: Iran's only female Olympic medallist

As significant as Alizardeh's defection is, it is not even the first major Iranian sporting defection of 2020 - less than two weeks into the year. Two leading figures in Iranian chess, Shohreh Bayat and Mitra Hejazipour, have both been expelled for removing their hijab in competitions outside of the country. This action is considered defiance of Iran's compulsory Islamic dress code.