The 25-year-old Algerian boxer has filed a criminal complaint over alleged ‘acts of aggravated cyber harassment’
Imane Khelif has named JK Rowling and Elon Musk in a lawsuit after winning an Olympic gold medal.
Khelif won the prestigious accolade in the women’s welterweight tournament in Paris last Friday (9 August) – making her Algeria’s first woman to ever win a gold medal in boxing at the Olympics.
However, her incredible achievements were, unfortunately, tarnished by an extremely aggravated dispute over her gender and faced an avalanche of unfounded accusations and abuse, despite the fact she was born female and does not identify as either transgender or intersex.
Additionally, the 25-year-old athlete has also been backed by the International Olympic Committee who asserted ‘scientifically, this is not a man fighting a woman.’
Since then, Nabil Boudi, the Paris-based attorney of Khelif, confirmed to Variety that both Rowling and Musk have both been named in the complaint filed to French authorities over alleged ‘acts of aggravated cyber harassment’.
On Tuesday (13 August) Boudi revealed to the outlet: “JK Rowling and Elon Musk are named in the lawsuit, among others.”
He also added that former US president, Donald Trump, would be part of the investigation, stating: “Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution.”
The lawyer also explained that, while the complaint mentions names, ‘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.’
On X, Rowling referred to the decorated world champion as a ‘male’ and accused her of ‘enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head, and whose life’s ambition he’s just shattered.’
Additionally, Musk shared a post from American swimmer, Riley Gaines, that claimed: “Men don’t belong in women’s sports,” adding ‘Absolutely.’
And Trump took to his Truth Social outlet declared in capital letters: “I will keep men out of women’s sports.”
Pedro Diaz, Khelif’s coach, also told Variety that the bullying she suffered during the Olympics ‘incredibly affected her’ and ‘everyone around her’.
He added: “The first time she fought in the Olympics, there was this crazy storm outside of the ring.”
“I had never seen anything so disgusting in my life.”
Diaz also said he asked Khelif to refrain from looking at social media so she ‘wouldn’t lose her focus on winning the gold medal’.
“She’s so smart and has such an amazing motivation,” the coach praised, adding that her gold medal win ‘felt like the most rewarding victory of my career as a coach’.
