Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who won the gold in the women’s welterweight tournament in Paris on Friday to become the nation’s first woman to win a gold medal in boxing at the Olympics, has filed a lawsuit that names JK Rowling and Elon Musk as defendants in the Olympics gender row.
JK Rowling and Elon Musk Implicated in Imane Khelif’s Olympics Gender Row Lawsuit
Well-known writer JK Rowling referred to the Algerian boxer Imane Khelif as a ‘male’ and accused her of deriving pleasure in the pain and distress of a woman whom she just punched in the head.
For the unversed, the sports world and netizens were divided when Angela Carini withdrew after 46 seconds in her round-of-16 bout against Khelif, and the Italian boxer, in a tearful outburst, stated that it was not right and claimed she was never hit so hard in her life.
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif described Rowling and Elon Musk’s comments as online harassment and slapped a legal suit against the two.
She was represented by her attorney, who stated that both JK Rowling and Elon Musk were listed as defendants in the sportsperson’s legal complaint over online harassment.
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif won a gold medal in boxing at the Games, but her performance was marred by a gender row.
Imane Khelif was earlier disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA) from the women’s World Championships after allegedly failing a gender eligibility test.
However, the IBA, which itself was expelled by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over financial and corruption concerns, did not provide any proof of its findings.
The IOC, however, allowed Imane Khelif to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Imane Khelif’s lawsuit was filed on Friday in the special unit in the Paris prosecutor’s office for combating online hate speech, alleging aggravated cyber-harassment against Khelif.
Her lawyer, Nabil Boudi, in a statement termed Rowling and Musk’s comments as a misogynist, racist, and sexist campaign against the boxer.
He also added that Donald Trump will also be a part of the investigation even though he was named in the lawsuit.
Boudi also added,
“What we’re asking is that the prosecution investigates not only these people but whoever it feels necessary. If the case goes to court, they will stand trial.”
Rowling commented on the gender of the boxer on X, while Musk also shared a post of American swimmer Riley Gaines that stated that men do not belong in women’s sports and co-signed the message by writing, “Absolutely.”
Trump also added a post on his Truth Social outlet and added a caption in uppercase,
“I WILL KEEP MEN OUT OF WOMEN’S SPORTS.”
Also Read: Drama EXPLAINED: Streamer Macaiyla Apologizes for Offensive Statements About Imane Khelif and Transgender Issues
