Imane Khelif, the 25-year-old Algerian boxer whose gender remained a topic of discussion at the 2024 Paris Olympics, has filed a suit against online harassment after winning a Gold medal at the just-ended games.
Khelif made history on August 9 by securing a dominant 5:0 score against China’s Liu Yang, to win Gold in the welterweight category at the Olympics.
However, her journey was marred by a wave of online abuse, with many questioning her gender eligibility.
Following her victory, Khelif filed a complaint with the anti-hate online center of the Paris prosecutor’s office, seeking to uncover the origins of the online harassment she endured throughout her Olympic journey.
Her attorney, Nabil Boudi, released a statement on August 10, captioned, “After the sports time, comes the judicial time.”
The statement emphasized the seriousness of the cyber-harassment campaign against Khelif, describing it as misogynistic, racist, and sexist.
Khelif, who hails from Tiaret in northwestern Algeria, is an accomplished boxer renowned for her skill in the welterweight division.
Despite her athletic prowess and role in inspiring a new generation of female athletes in Algeria and beyond, she faced significant challenges, including criticism and sexism from online commentators.
The controversy surrounding Khelif intensified after Italian boxer, Angela Carina, abandoned a match against her, citing unfairness due to Khelif’s alleged gender status.
Khelif had previously been disqualified from the 2023 World Championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA) for failing a gender test, though the exact reasons were unclear and disputed.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) dismissed these tests as “baseless” and allowed her to compete in the Olympics.
In response to the allegations, Khelif stated, “I’m a woman like any other woman. I was born a woman, I lived as a woman, and I competed as a woman, there’s no doubt about that.”
She said that the claims about her gender were baseless and had caused distress to her family.
