Global (Commonwealth) _ Olympic boxer Imane Khelif launched a cyberbullying case in France, naming JK Rowling and Elon Musk among those involved for suspected “acts of cyber-bullying.”
During her Olympic career, Khelif—who was the focus of a global controversy about gender eligibility—became Algeria’s first female gold medalist in boxing and its first boxer to earn an Olympic gold medal overall since 1996.
Her lawyer, Nabil Boudi, announced on Wednesday that they had sent a criminal complaint to the Paris public prosecutor’s office on Friday for suspected “acts of cyber-harassment.”
Variety stated that the lawsuit was brought against X, which indicates that it was brought against unidentified parties in accordance with French law. The 25-year-old is said to have been the target of “misogynistic, racist, and sexist” cyberbullying.
According to Boudi, this “ensures that the prosecution has all the latitude to be able to conduct an inquiry against all people,” including those who could have used aliases to write abusive words.
The attorney stated that notable people were also identified in the case. He claimed, “JK Rowling and Elon Musk are named in the lawsuit, among others,” and hinted that the probe would potentially include Donald Trump. “Trump tweeted, so the prosecution will unavoidably investigate him whether or not he is mentioned in our lawsuit.”
When it was determined that Khelif had failed the International Boxing Association’s (IBA) gender eligibility test, she was disqualified from competing in the 2023 boxing world championships, raising questions about her gender.
However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has contested this test. Prior to the Paris competitions, the IBA was disqualified from the Olympics and lost its status as the boxing world’s regulatory organization due to concerns about financial transparency, governance, and corruption.
Khelif was a girl at birth and has never claimed to be intersex or transgender. “Scientifically, this is not a man fighting a woman,” the IOC declared, indicating her gender. After Italian fighter Angela Carini pulled out of her 66kg boxing tournament bout against Khelif after just 46 seconds, saying, “I have never felt a punch like this,” the topic gained national attention.
After that, Khelif received a deluge of hatred, primarily on social media, especially from X. After prominent people started writing about the problem, the number of comments increased.
Using a photo from Khelif’s fight with Carini, Rowling wrote, “The smirk of a male who knows he’s protected by a misogynist sporting establishment enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head, and whose life’s ambition he’s just shattered,” in a message to her 14.2 million followers on X. The Harry Potter author stated in a another tweet: “I don’t claim Khelif is transgender. Male aggression against women should not be allowed to be an Olympic sport, since I and many others oppose it.
The US swimmer Riley Gaines posted a message saying, “Men don’t belong in women’s sports,” to which Musk, the owner of X, replied, “Absolutely.” In the meanwhile, Trump said on social media, “I will keep men out of women’s sports!” and included a photo from the bout.
The complaint also cited WWE Superstar Logan Paul, who said on X that Khelif’s victory over Carini represented the “purest form of evil.”
Despite the fact that names were specified in the lawsuit, Boudi told Variety that “what we’re asking is that the prosecution investigates not only these people but whoever it feels necessary.” “They will stand trial if the case goes to court,” he continued.
Despite being filed in France, the case “may target personalities overseas,” according to the attorney. The bullying that Khelif experienced at the Olympics, according to her coach Pedro Diaz, “incredibly affected her” and “everyone around her.”
After defeating Yang Liu of China on Saturday, Khelif declared, “I am fully qualified to take part in this competition.” Like all other women, I am a woman. Without a doubt, I competed as a woman, I lived as a woman, and I was a woman from birth.
Khelif encountered criticism after it was discovered in a report that she and another boxer, Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan, had been disqualified from the 2023 World Championships in New Delhi due to their failure to pass the International Boxing Association’s gender eligibility criteria.
