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Imane Khelif, the boxer who was involved in a gender dispute at the Olympics, has filed a lawsuit alleging she was the victim of online harassment.
Khelif won gold in the women’s welterweight tournament in Paris on Friday, becoming the first Algerian woman to win a gold medal in boxing at the Games.
But the 25-year-old found herself in the spotlight at the Olympics after she was disqualified from the Women’s World Championships by the IBA for allegedly failing a gender aptitude test.
The IBA, which was excluded by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over financial concerns and corruption, could not provide evidence for its findings and the IOC gave Khelif permission to compete.
Khelif, like Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, was the subject of speculation and “attacks” on social media and declared after winning gold on Friday evening: “I am a woman, I was born a woman, I have lived as a woman. There is no doubt about that.”
This is what Khelif’s lawyer Nabil Boudi said Reuters The complaint was filed on Friday.
“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 after defeating Yang Liu to win gold.
Khelif said that by winning the IBA gold medal, she sent the message that she still has her “dignity and honour” because of her success.
She added: “This is every athlete’s dream. I competed in Tokyo, but I was not well prepared then. It was during Covid, times were difficult.
“Whether I am qualified or not, whether I am a woman or not, I have made many statements in the media, I am fully qualified, I am a woman, I was born a woman, I have lived as a woman. There is no doubt about that.”
“These people (who say I am not) are the enemies of success. That is what I call them. These attacks add a special touch to my success.
“My honour is intact, but the attacks on social media were extremely bad and meaningless. They attack people’s dignity, now people’s mindset has changed.”
“As for the IBA: I have been boxing under the IBA umbrella since 2018, they know me very well. They know what I am capable of and how I have developed over the years.
“But now they are no longer recognized and they hate me, and I don’t know why. I sent them a single message with this gold medal – and my dignity and honor are above all else.
“Algerian women are known for their strength and strong will, and they are brave and they came to support me. They also sent a message to the Arab (world). They sent the message that our honor is above all else.”
