Olympic gold medallist Imane Khelif knocks court of law over online harassment: ‘Want to change…..’

Paris Olympics 2024: Imane Khelif, the boxer caught in a gender dispute, became the first Algerian woman to win an Olympic gold in boxing. She has approached the court of Law to file a formal legal complaint against online harassment, Reuters reported citing her lawyer's statement.

The Algerian boxer on Saturday said, "All that is being said about me on social media is immoral. I want to change the minds of people around the world," reported Reuters.

What Imane Khelif's lawyer said?

Imane Khelif's lawyer, Nabil Boudi, said the complaint was filed on Friday over “aggravated online harassment... to Paris prosecutors.”

Nabil Boudi said, “The boxer Imane Khelif has decided to begin a new fight, a fight for justice, dignity and honour,” reported AFP. He further noted, “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.”

The 25-year-old became a victim of online harassment after her first fight against Italian boxer Angela Carini. The bout concluded within 46 seconds and the European athlete remarked that she "never felt a punch like this."

Imane Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting became the centre of criticism at the Paris Olympics 2024 and were subjected to intense scrutiny on social media.

The origin of this controversy can be traced back to the time the International Boxing Association (IBA) barred the two athletes from participating in the World Boxing Championship in 2023 due to the presence of XY chromosomes. Meanwhile, the International Olympic Association (IOA) disregarded these arbitrary sex tests and claimed that they were irretrievably flawed.

“I am a woman like any woman. I was born a woman, and I have lived as a woman, but there are enemies to success, and they can't digest my success,” Imane Khelif said after clinching the Olympic gold in the 66kg category on Friday at the Summer Games.

"As for whether I qualify or not, whether I am a woman or not, I have made many statements in the media," the 25-year-old boxer said after her win.

Amid strong criticism surrounding her gender, Imane Khelif said, "That also gives my success a special taste because of those attacks,” reported Reuters. Despite the outcry over her womanhood, she championed her cause to beat world champion Yang Liu of China by 5:0 in the final of the women's welterweight division.

(With agency inputs)