Algerian boxer and Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif has filed a formal complaint after weeks of online harassment because of her gender.
Khelif won gold in the women’s welterweight division on Friday after remaining undefeated throughout the tournament, but her victory was overshadowed by online abuse.
“Everything that is said about me on social media is immoral. I want to change the minds of people all over the world,” Khelif said on Saturday.
Her comments come after her lawyer Nabil Boudi told Reuters that an official complaint of “serious online harassment” had been filed on Friday.
“Boxer Imane Khelif has decided to start a new fight, a fight for justice, dignity and honor,” Nabil Boudi said in a statement.
He added: “The investigation will establish who is behind this misogynistic, racist and sexist campaign, but will also have to look at those who supported the online lynching.”
After her victory, Khelif stressed that her haters were the “enemies of success.”
“Whether I am qualified or not, whether I am a woman or not, I have made many statements about this in the media,” said Khelif after her victory. “I am fully qualified to take part in this competition. I am a woman like any other woman. I was born a woman, I lived as a woman, I competed as a woman, there is no doubt about that. (The critics) are enemies of success, that is what I call them. And that also gives my success a special connotation because of these attacks.”
She also criticized the International Boxing Federation (IBA) for adding fuel to the fire, even though they have known her and her story for a long time.
“My honour is intact now,” Khelif said. “But the attacks I heard about on social media were extremely bad and meaningless and they attack people’s dignity. I think people’s mindsets have changed now.”
“As for the IBA, I have been boxing under their umbrella since 2018. They know me very well, they know what I am capable of, they know how I have evolved over the years, but now they no longer recognize me. They hate me and I don’t know why. I send them a single message: with this gold medal, my dignity, my honor, is above all else.”
The complaint has now been submitted to the Paris public prosecutor’s office.
You can watch the rest of the Olympic Games on Channel 9 And 9Now.
