The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office announced on Wednesday the opening of an investigation following a complaint filed by Algerian boxer Imane Khelif for severe cyber harassment, as reported by Agence France-Presse.
Khelif, who won the gold medal in the 66kg weight class at the Paris Olympics, was the victim of controversy surrounding her gender identity.
Nabil Boudi, the lawyer for the Algerian boxer, issued a statement last Saturday saying, “After just winning a gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, boxer Imane Khelif has decided to fight a new battle: a battle for justice, dignity, and honor.” He indicated that she “filed a complaint (on Friday) regarding acts of severe cyber harassment to the Cyber Hate Combat Center of the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office.”
He continued: “The criminal investigation will determine who started this misogynistic, racist, and sexist campaign, but it will also have to focus on those who fueled this digital execution without trial.”
For him, “The unfair harassment suffered by the boxing champion will remain the biggest mark of these Olympic Games.”
Khelif won the 66kg final last Friday at Roland Garros, the tennis stronghold that was transformed into a boxing venue.
She defeated second-ranked Liu Yang of China 5-0 by unanimous decision, becoming the first Algerian and African female boxer to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games.
Three years after her participation in the Tokyo Olympics, where she didn’t cause any controversy, the 25-year-old found herself in Paris, France, amidst a debate about her gender identity led by conservative circles. This stemmed from a dispute between the International Olympic Committee and the International Boxing Association headed by Russian Umar Kremlev, who is associated with the Kremlin.
The controversy arises from her exclusion, like Taiwanese Lin Yu-ting, from the World Championship in New Delhi in March 2023. According to the International Federation, Khelif failed a test aimed at determining her gender, and due to the Olympic Committee’s suspension of the International Boxing Association from organizing boxing competitions in the Games and the resulting conflict, the latter refused to specify the type of test conducted.
For the International Olympic Committee, her eligibility is not in question, as she was allowed to participate in women’s bouts. However, the New Delhi exclusion resurfaced when her first-round opponent, Italian Angela Carini, withdrew after 46 seconds following two strong punches to her head.
The Algerian boxer became a victim of a hate and misinformation campaign tinged with racism on social media, portraying her as “the man fighting women.”
Imane Khelif told the media on Friday after winning gold, “I am a strong woman with special powers. From the ring, I sent a message to those who were against me.”
She continued: “I was subjected to attacks and a fierce campaign, and this is the best answer I can give. The answer was always in the ring.”
She affirmed, “I am fully qualified to participate, I am a woman like any other woman, born a woman, lived as a woman, and competed as a woman.”
