Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has filed a legal complaint in France in relation to “aggravated cyber-harassment,” referencing social media users, including Elon Musk and J.K. Rowling, questioning the boxer’s gender in the Olympic Games.
Khelif’s complaint was filed on Friday, the same day the boxer won gold in the women’s boxing 145-pound category at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Lawyer Nabil Boudi stated that the Algerian boxer faced a “misogynist, racist and sexist campaign” during the Paris Games, citing some social media users claiming Khelif was transgender .
"The unfair harassment suffered by the boxing champion will remain the biggest stain of these Olympic Games," Boudi stated .
The Algerian boxer has a reported diagnosis of differences in sexual development , or DSD, which is an umbrella medical term for a variety of conditions in which a person can have either XY or XX chromosomes but not the corresponding physical sex characteristics.
The controversy generated over Khelif’s competition in the Olympics stemmed from the International Olympic Committee defending the boxer’s inclusion in the Games . This controversy continued when Khelif’s match against Italian boxer Angela Carini ended in 46 seconds , with Carini visibly upset after forfeiting the match.
“Call me crazy, but It’s almost as if women don’t want to be punched in the face by a male as the world watches and applauds,” women’s sports activist and Outkick host Riley Gaines wrote on X. “This is glorified male violence against women.”
Gaines was one of many to come to the defense of Carini after she complained that Khelif’s inclusion was unfair. The Italian boxer later backtracked and apologized .
Khelif returned home in Algeria on Monday, alongside fellow Algerian Olympic medalists, including gymnast Kaylia Nemour and runner Djamel Sedjati. The North African nation's minister of youth and sports, Abderrahmane Hammad, was among those who were there to greet them.
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“It's a dream I had for eight years,” Khelif said of her experience in the Games. “We did our best to represent Algeria.”
Sedjati, who earned the bronze medal in the men's 800 meters, called Khelif's success "a boost to women's sports in our country.”
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