Boxer files legal complaint over gender abuse
PARIS — Olympic gold-medal-winning boxer Imane Khelif, who endured intense scrutiny about her gender throughout the Paris Games, has filed a formal legal complaint in which she says she was the victim of online abuse.
In a statement posted Sunday to Instagram, Khelif’s attorney, Nabil Boudi, said Khelif, who won the Olympic women’s 66-kilogram boxing title on Friday, asked his legal firm to file a complaint with the Paris prosecutor’s office on her behalf.
“Having just won a gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, boxer Imane Khelif has decided to lead a new fight: that of justice, dignity and honor,” Boudi said.
“Ms. Khelif contacted the firm, which filed a complaint yesterday for acts of aggravated cyber harassment with the anti-online hatred center of the Paris public prosecutor’s office.”
The Paris prosecutor’s office told ESPN it had not yet received the complaint, although it could come as early as Monday.
Boudi added he asked for the criminal investigation to determine who initiated the “misogynistic, racist and sexist campaign” against Khelif.
“The unfair harassment suffered by the boxing champion will remain the biggest stain of these Olympic Games,” Boudi added.
Fans have embraced Khelif in Paris even as she faced an extraordinary amount of scrutiny from world leaders, major celebrities and others who have questioned her eligibility or falsely claimed she was a man. It has thrust her into a larger divide over changing attitudes toward gender identity and regulations in sports.
It stems from the Russian-dominated International Boxing Association’s decision to disqualify Khelif and fellow two-time Olympian Li Yu-ting of Taiwan from last year’s world championships, claiming both failed an eligibility test for women’s competition that IBA officials have declined to answer basic questions about.
Khelif and Lin are allowed to fight under the International Olympic Committee’s guidelines on gender eligibility, with both fighters eventually winning gold in Paris in their respective weight classes.
“For eight years, this has been my dream, and I’m now the Olympic champion and gold medalist,” Khelif said through an interpreter after her gold-medal bout Friday against Yang Liu of China.
Khelif has faced scrutiny from a range of public figures and a significant number of social media users. Former U.S. President Donald Trump and “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling both weighed in with criticism and false speculation about men competing with women in sports.
“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,” Khelif said.
Paris was the second Olympic appearance for both Khelif and Lin after both fought at Tokyo 2020 without medaling. Khelif’s victory marked Algeria’s second boxing gold medal, while Lin’s was Taiwan’s first gold in the event.
The IOC has repeatedly reaffirmed the two boxers’ right to compete in Paris, with president Thomas Bach personally calling the criticism “hate speech.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
