Imane Khelif files complaint after brutal criticism from Elon Musk, JK Rowling, and countless haters

Imane Khelif, the Algerian boxer, who claimed Olympic gold found herself in the midst of a gender dispute after a hue and cry from Italian boxer Angela Carini that was echoed by the internet over and over again in recent times. After Carini copped a telling blow from Khelif, she abandoned her fight crying, also citing that never in her life had she been struck so hard.

Despite issuing an apology later, Angela Carini’s earlier alarm bells were being rung by the entire world, alleging Khelif of being a ‘man’ in a woman’s sport. Sensing foul play in the Paris Olympics, a lion’s share of individuals went on a crusade against Imane Khelif on the internet, which featured renowned individuals like Elon Musk and JK Rowling. However, after all the harassment that Khelif faced online, she decided to take legal action. Even though Musk and Rowling weren’t explicitly named in the lawsuit, yet their earlier remarks were pivotal in propelling opinions towards Khelif.

The boxer Imane Khelif has decided to begin a new fight, a fight for justice, dignity and honour. The speculation was fuelled by malicious individuals. 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. 

Imane Khelif’s lawyer Nabil Boudi said in the complaint on Friday

For the unversed, the questions about Khelif were being sparked by the International Boxing Association (IBA). IBA’s president, Umar Kremlev claimed that the organisation did run genetic tests which showed that Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting (another name in the controversy) were men.

The IBA didn’t allow both the boxers in the 2023 World Championship. The International Olympic Committee, however, cleared both of them to participate in the Olympics.

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Here’s how Imane Khelif clinched Olympic gold in Paris

Khelif started the Olympics with a bang as one of her punches was more than enough to disarm Italy’s Angela Carini as she jettisoned her fight. Following her victory against the Italian, she won her quarter-final bout against Hungary’s Luca Anna Hamori by a staggering 5-0 margin.

She was pitted against Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand in the semi-finals and her dominant run continued as she bagged another 5-0 victory to punch her ticket to the summit clash. Up against China’s Yang Liu in the gold-medal bout, she continued her dominant run and eventually went on to win, crafting a moment of a lifetime.

All that is being said about me on social media is immoral. I want to change the minds of people around the world.

After clinching the Olympic gold, Imane Khelif said

However, this time after winning the gold, Khelif did find a wave of support. It was particularly because her condition of having elevated testosterone came to light, and more people getting to know that she was indeed a woman.

In case you missed:

• Sifan Hassan became the first woman in Olympics history to rack up a very rare feat
• China pens history with their first Olympic gold in group rhythmic gymnastics

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