Boxing gold medallist Imane Khelif has named JK Rowling and Elon Musk in a legal complaint filed in France this week.
Khelif’s lawyer alleges she was targeted by a “misogynist, racist and sexist campaign” during the Olympics, after one of her opponents pulled out of a match after 46 seconds.
In the legal complaint, reported by U.S. outlet Variety, Khelif alleges Rowling and Musk were among several public figures who amplified online harassment against her.
Imane Khelif
Khelif faced Italian competitor Angela Carini in the preliminary round of the Olympic women’s 66kg boxing, earlier this month.
Carini pulled out of the match after 46 seconds, saying she had “never felt a punch like this”. Soon after, Carini apologised to Khelif, saying she “was angry because [her] Olympics had gone up in smoke”.
However, the incident had already sparked online speculation about Khelif’s gender. There is no indication she is trans or intersex.
In March 2023, Khelif was disqualified from the International Boxing Association’s (IBA) World Championships for failing a gender eligibility test. The IBA isn’t recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
No official details have been revealed, but IBA President Umar Kremlev alleged to Russian state media that Khelif had XY chromosomes, typically found in people assigned male at birth.
Khelif was disqualified after she beat a Russian competitor. The IBA had a sponsorship deal with Russia’s state-owned oil company Gazprom until May 2023.
Comments
During the Olympics, Harry Potter author Rowling, who has been accused of posting anti-trans content, questioned Khelif’s gender on social media platform X.
Separately, another athlete’s post in support of Carini, which said: “Men don’t belong in women’s sports” was reshared by Musk (billionaire owner of X), who added: “Absolutely”.
Rowling has 14 million followers on the platform, while Musk, its owner, has 195 million.
Lawsuit
This week, Variety reported Khelif had submitted a legal complaint in France, naming Musk and Rowling.
The complaint was lodged with France’s National Centre for the Fight Against Online Hatred.
In a statement to Instagram, Khelif’s lawyer Nabil Boudi said an investigation ”will determine who was behind this misogynist, racist and sexist campaign, but will also focus on those who fed the online lynching.”
