Iranian Olympic skier flees to Germany: Media report

Iranian Olympic skier Atefeh Ahmadi has quit her home country and applied for asylum in Germany, a Persian-language media outlet outside Iran reported Saturday, publishing an emotional interview with the athlete.

Ahmadi, in her early 20s, was the only Iranian woman to qualify for last year's Beijing Winter Games.

"I left Iran to reach my goal, but my heart is with Iran. I love my Iran. I love my people," she told London-based Iran International.

"If I could, I would stand by the people so that we can reach freedom together," she said.

Iran erupted into protests in September last year following the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, an Iranian woman of Kurdish origin, after she was arrested for allegedly violating the Islamic republic's dress rules.

Hundreds have been killed in the ensuing security crackdown, according to Norway-based group Iran Human Rights, while authorities say thousands have been arrested.

Ahmadi said she applied for a visa independently, and that applying through Iran's ski federation required "a house deed as the security deposit to the federation".

"I don't think that putting the document (the house deed) in the federation's mortgage is the right thing for a national sportsman or woman" to do, she said in the interview.

She also cited discussions about prioritising the men's team over women skiers.

"They said because of this uprising and these recent events, the dispatches are reduced to a minimum," she said. "Priority is given to the men's team."

Ahmadi also complained of heavy Iranian security surveillance for overseas visits.

"The security people who took our passports most of the trips always followed us, they even looked at the juices in our hands to see what we drink... what kind of meat do we have," Ahmadi said, alluding to Islamic requirements.

Iran ski federation chief Abbas Nazarian said Ahmadi's move "was a personal decision and seems to have been planned for a while."