Imane Khelif breaks silence after ‘naming Elon Musk & JK Rowling in cyberbullying lawsuit’ over boxing gender row
IMANE Khelif has broken her silence after reportedly naming Elon Musk and JK Rowling in a cyberbullying lawsuit.
Khelif won Olympic gold in the women’s 66kg boxing contest on Saturday after critics said her participation risked women’s safety.
The boxing champion is understood to have filed a criminal complaint to French authorities which alleges “acts of aggravated cyber harassment” against the Algerian from famous figures such as Rowling and Musk.
Harry Potter author Rowling slammed Khelif after her win over Italian boxer Angela Carini.
Rowling accused Khelif of being a man “enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head” after Carini left the bout in tears.
Meanwhile, Twitter and Tesla owner Musk shared a post about Khelif claiming “men don’t belong in women’s sports”.
Now, the 25-year-old Olympic champion has spoken out after a successful Olympics campaign shrouded in controversy.
Khelif told El Birad: “Immediately after there was a big uproar from big politicians around the world, athletes around the world, and even artists and stars, Elon Musk, Trump.. this thing….. that affected me.
“I am not lying to you, it affected me. It affected me a lot, hurt me a lot. I can’t describe to you the amount of fear I had.
“The scenario was very scary. Thank god, all the people of Algeria and the Arab world knew Imane Khelif with her femininity, her courage, her will,’ said the Algerian boxer.
“Honestly, I don’t like to get into politics in sports, but they got into politics in sports. Sports and politics are two separate things.
“These politicians who are oppressing me, they don’t have the right to say that I’m a transgender.”
Khelif’s lawyer Nabil Boudi previously told Variety: “JK Rowling and Elon Musk are named in the lawsuit, among others.
“Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution.
“What we’re asking is that the prosecution investigates not only these people but whoever it feels necessary.
The Parisian lawyer added: “If the case goes to court, they will stand trial.”
The Algerian was born female and does not identify as transgender or intersex.
But just last year Khelif was thrown out of last year’s World Championships in India after failing an unspecified gender test.
International Boxing Association officials said tests showed Khelif had ‘XY chromosomes’ — which indicates a person is biologically male.
However, the IBA has still not revealed which tests it used or published the results.
Rare ‘intersex’ medical conditions, medically known as differences in sexual development (DSDs), can also mean outwardly female individuals can have ‘male’ chromosomes, or vice versa.
But Khelif faced criticism on social media from a number of public figures saying she is male and should not be taking part.
Possible repercussions for cyber-bullying offences in France are prison sentences ranging from two to five years and fines ranging from £26,000 to £39,000.
If prosecuted as online hate speech, perpetrators could even be fined £64,000 to £214,000.