A marathon on Iran’s Kish Island that appeared to show large numbers of women running without hijab has triggered a fierce backlash from hardliners and a swift criminal case against its organizers.
The sixth Kish Marathon went ahead on Friday morning with close to 5,000 runners on the Persian Gulf resort island, even though Iran’s Athletics Federation had opposed the event in advance, citing alleged failure to observe “legal and religious requirements.”
The race, launched five years ago with around 500 participants, has grown into Iran’s only internationally recognised road race.
Conservatives’ reaction was immediate and harsh, leading to the opening of a criminal file by Kish’s public prosecutor within hours of the event.
“The manner in which the event was conducted damaged public decency,” the prosecutor's office said in a statement published by the IRGC-linked Tasnim.
“Despite earlier warnings about the need to observe the country’s current laws and regulations, as well as religious, social, and professional norms in holding this competition, the relevant officials did not pay the necessary attention to these warnings,” it added.
‘The Las Vegas Republic
The announcement followed a cascade of attacks from hardline activists and media—including Tasnim.
The race, it asserted, promoted “open, public unveiling (and) debauchery,” for which those responsible “must be punished immediately.”
A hardline activist writing under the name Aminizadeh blasted officials as “careless and dishonourable,” describing the race as a “disco marathon.”
“Is this the Islamic Republic or the Las Vegas Republic,” he quipped. “Who sponsored this stupid act?”
‘Settling political scores’
Such interventions echoed broader efforts by conservative figures to reassert control over public space and dress codes three years after the widespread 2022 protests, which has eroded enforcement of Islamic dress code in many urban areas.
Many supporters of the event pushed back, accusing hardliners of exploiting hijab sensitivities for political gain.
Journalist Amir Taher Hosseinkhan wrote on X that women had run their race at 5:30am and men at 8:30am, with strict separation and control.
“So why are you still insisting on creating a false narrative?” he asked. “How did something you claim is sacred become a tool for bargaining and settling scores?”
Organizers have so far not publicly commented on the prosecutor’s announcement.