Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has filed a legal complaint for “aggravated online harassment,” citing misogyny, sexism, and racism, after being mislabeled a man in a Paris Olympics gender dispute.
RELATED : Paris Olympics: Italy’s Angela Carini Forfeits Match Against Algeria’s Imane Khelif, Who Failed Gender Test
On August 1, Italian boxer Angela Carini , 25, forfeited a match against Khelif, 25, claiming the Algerian boxer landed a super heavy punch, of two thrown, causing her to quit after 46 seconds of the opening round of their welterweight bout. Once Khelif was dubbed the winner, Carini fell to her knees in tears and told her coach, “It’s not right, it’s not right!” It was reported that Carini suffered a suspected broken nose and she later told reporters that she had never been punched so hard in her career.
The incident caused headlines to resurface about Khelif failing a gender eligibility test before competing at the Paris Olympics 2024. A year ago, Khelif was disqualified hours before her gold-medal bout at the women’s World Championships in New Delhi. She had filed to meet the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) eligibility criteria, which prevents athletes with male XY chromosomes from competing in women’s events.
RELATED : Boxer Who Defeated Imane Khelif In 2022 World Championship Defends Her Amid Olympics Controversy
On August 2, Carini apologized to Khelif after seemingly questioning her gender after their bout. Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Carini told them, “All this controversy makes me sad. I’m sorry for my opponent, too. If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision. It wasn’t something I intended to do [by not shaking hands]. Actually, I want to apologize to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke. [I would] embrace her [if I met her again].”
Despite Carini apologizing the online harassment continued and Imane Khelif fired back at all of the trolls after winning her match against Hungarian boxer Anna Luca Hamori on August 3. She told reporters , “I want to tell the entire world that I am a female, and I will remain a female.” Holding back tears with an Algerian flag around her back, she added, “I dedicate this medal to the world, and to all the Arabs, and I tell you, ‘Long live Algeria!’”
RELATED : Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif Declares ‘I Am A Female’ After Italian Boxer Angela Carini Apologizes For Seemingly Questioning Her Gender At Paris Olympics
Imane Khelif has now filed a legal complaint for all of the “aggravated online harassment” she’s been facing since being mislabeled a man in the Paris Olympics gender dispute with Italian boxer Angela Carini. After taking home the Olympic Gold medal in the Women’s Welterweight Boxing Games on Friday (August 9), Khelif took legal matters against the harsh criticism she’s been experiencing online.
The first-time Olympic Gold medalist’s lawyer, Nabil Boudi, told Reuters that they filed their formal complaint on Friday, and on Saturday (August 10), Khelif added, “All that is being said about me on social media is immoral. I want to change the minds of people around the world.”
RELATED : Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif Claims Gold Amid Olympic Gender Controversy
On Friday, before her winning Gold, Khelif, who was raised and identifies as a female and is not transgender, stated, “I’m fully qualified to take part in this competition. I’m a woman like any other woman. I was born as a woman, I live as a woman, and I am qualified.” After her win, she told reporters , “For eight years, this has been my dream, and I’m now the Olympic champion and gold medalist.”
When asked about the gender dispute criticism, she told reporters, “That also gives my success a special taste because of those attacks. We are in the Olympics to perform as athletes, and I hope that we will not see any similar attacks in future Olympics.”
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