France investigates cyberbullying against Algerian boxer Imane Khelif

French authorities are investigating claims of cyberbullying against Algerian boxer Imane Khelif during the Olympic Games in Paris.

The Paris public prosecutor's office on Wednesday announced that an investigation has been launched into cyberbullying on the basis of gender, public defamation and public incitement to discrimination.

The office for hate crimes and crimes against humanity is responsible for the investigation. It did not disclose who the investigation was targeting.

According to the authorities, Khelif filed a complaint on Monday. Her lawyer Nabil Boudi wrote on the social media platform X that the investigations should reveal who was behind the "misogynistic, racist and sexist campaign" against the boxer.

Khelif and Lin Yi-ting from Taiwan were at the centre of a highly charged gender debate during the Olympics, after they were excluded from the 2023 world championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA) due to allegedly failing gender eligibility tests.

However, the IBA is not recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the boxers were allowed to compete in Paris. Both won gold medals.