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Imane Khelif, the boxer caught in the middle of a gender row at the Olympics, has filed a legal complaint citing being the victim of online harassment.
Khelif won gold in the women’s welterweight tournament in Paris on Friday, becoming Algeria’s first woman to ever win a gold medal in boxing at the Games.
But the 25-year-old was in the spotlight at the Olympics after she was disqualified by the IBA from the women’s World Championships for allegedly failing a gender eligibility test.
The IBA, which was expelled by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over financial and corruption concerns, has failed to provide any proof of its findings and Khelif was cleared to compete by the IOC.
Khelif, along with Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, has been the subject of speculation and “attacks” on social media and after winning gold on Friday night declared: “I’m a woman, I was born a woman, I lived a woman. There’s no doubt about that.”
Khelif’s lawyer, Nabil Boudi, told Reuters the complaint was filed on Friday.
"All that is being said about me on social media is immoral. I want to change the minds of people around the world," Khelif said after she defeated Yang Liu to win gold.
Khelif said that by winning gold she sent the IBA a message that she still had her “dignity and honour” due to her success.
She added: “It’s a dream for every athlete. I took part in Tokyo, but I was not well prepared at the time; it was during Covid, the times were difficult.
“As for if I qualify or not, if I’m a woman or not: I made many statements in the media, I’m fully qualified, I’m a woman, I was born a woman, I lived a woman. There’s no doubt about that.
“These people [who claim I am not], they are the enemies of success. It’s what I call them. It gives my success a special taste because of these attacks.
“My honour is intact, but the attacks on social media were extremely bad and they are meaningless. They impact the dignity of people, now people’s thinking has changed.
“As for the IBA: since 2018 I was boxing under the umbrella of the IBA, they know me very well. They know what I’m capable of, how I’ve developed over the years.
“But now they are not recognised anymore and they hate me, and I don’t know why. I sent them a single message with this gold medal – and my dignity and honour is above everything else.
“The Algerian women are known for their strength and strong will, and they are valiant and they came to support me. They sent a message to the Arab [world] as well. They sent the message that our honour is above everything else.”
