The 2024 Paris Olympics have drawn to a close, but the controversy surrounding Algerian boxer Imane Khelif will apparently continue in court.
French newspaper Le Monde reports the boxer filed a complaint Friday against X for “moral harassment.” According to Deadline.com, the complaint has been filed in Paris correctional court’s national center for combating online hate.
The AP described the complaint as alleging “aggravated cyber-harassment,” and Khelif’s attorney Nabil Boudi referred to it as a “misogynist, racist and sexist campaign.”
Khelif won a gold medal in the 66kg women’s category Friday, but her participation in Paris sparked controversy. Khelif was approved to compete by the IOC, despite previously being disqualified from boxing competition by the International Boxing Association for failing a chromosome test. Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting, who also previously failed the IBA gender test, also boxed in Paris and won gold in the 57kg category. The IBA was stripped of IOC recognition in 2023 for various ethical concerns and boxing’s fate for the 2028 Olympics is still uncertain.
That led many to question both boxers’ legitimacy to compete in Paris. Khelif seemed to bear the brunt of the criticism. The Boston Globe incorrectly ran a headline calling her “transgender.” Pat McAfee and other media personalities addressed the issue.
While Khelif called out the media “bullying” as “something that harms human dignity,” much of the criticism came from online sources, including X (formerly Twitter). Khelif’s complaint against X cites that after her quarterfinal win, X users accused her of being “a transgender person” committing “violence against women,” among other accusations.
Khelif’s attorney said in the complaint those accusations were viewed more than 100 million times around the world.
After winning gold, Khelif said, “I am fully qualified to participate in this competition. I am a woman, I was born a woman, I have lived as a woman and I competed as a woman. There is no doubt about that.”
The AP reports it is now up to prosecutors whether to open an investigation.
[Deadline]
