Olympic gold medallist Imane Khelif has filed a formal legal complaint for acts of “aggravated cyber harassment” after she became the centre of a gender eligibility dispute.
The Algerian boxer’s participation in the women’s welterweight class in Paris sparked controversy after reports she, along with Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, failed a gender eligibility test conducted by the International Boxing Association (IBA) in 2023.
The exact specifics of the tests are unknown yet have been the subject of heated debate on social media.
In a statement today, Khelif’s lawyer Nabil Boudi said the complaint had been filed to Paris prosecutors.
“Imane Khelif has decided to lead a new fight; that of justice, dignity and honour,” Boudi said in a statement translated from French.
“The investigation will determine who was behind this misogynist, racist and sexist campaign, but will also have to concern itself with those who fed the online lynching.
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“The unfair harassment suffered by the boxing champion will remain the biggest stain of these Olympic Games.”
Khelif won the gold medal in the 66kg category after defeating China’s Yang Liu yesterday.
It’s Algeria’s first Olympic gold medal since the London Games in 2012. All five judges gave her the win.
Khelif told reporters through an interpreter that for eight years “this has been my dream”.
Asked about the scrutiny, she told reporters: “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,” she said.
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