2016 Rio Olympic Security Reportedly Asks Iranian Volleyball Fan to Remove Sign

Olympic officials reportedly attempted to remove an Iranian woman from a men's volleyball match Saturday in Rio de Janeiro because she was holding a sign that said, "Let Iranian women enter their stadiums," and wearing a shirt bearing the same phrase, according to Janie McCauley of the Associated Press.

The fan, Darya Safai, described the situation, per McCauley:

"

They said they didn't want the sign in front of the cameras and they asked us to leave. They even tried to impress me with military people. I think it is a pity they always listen to what the regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran says. This is not the first time I had this experience but I won't give up because that's what Iranian women do, they keep fighting for their rights.

"

The IOC has a longstanding rule against participating in political demonstrations at the Olympics, which applies to both fans and athletes.

Safai was allowed to stay at the Maracanazinho arena, where she was courtside for Iran's win over Egypt. Officials also asked her to drop the sign.

Iranian women have been banned from attending volleyball matches since 2012. The country has a longstanding ban in place preventing female fans from attending soccer matches. The ban extends to most male-only sporting events, where officials "enforce strict interpretations of Islamic norms," per McCauley. 

"This is not a political statement. This is not a political issue," USA Volleyball chairwoman Lori Okimura said, per McCauley. "This, to me, is not about politics. It's about gender. Volleyball has always been about equality. Why now are we not sending that same consistent message?"

Safai, who heads a group of Iranian working to reverse the ban, said she plans on attending the team's next game Monday. She said she will continue demonstrating despite pressure from officials in Rio.

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter.