Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif Files Lawsuit Against Cyberbullies, Names Elon Musk, J.K. Rowling, and Others

TapTechNews August 14th news, according to Variety, the Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who won the women's 66kg boxing gold medal at the Paris Olympics, has been cyberbullied due to gender controversy during the 2024 Paris Olympics. She filed a lawsuit with the Anti-Cyberbullying Center of the Prosecutor's Office in Paris, France last Friday, claiming that she has suffered'severe cyberbullying', and named several well-known people such as Elon Musk and J.K. Rowling in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit is filed against X. According to French law, this means that the lawsuit is not filed against specific individuals. However, several public figures are clearly mentioned in the complaint.

Nabil Boudi, the Paris lawyer of Khelif, said that the former US President Donald Trump will also be a subject of investigation, 'Trump has tweeted, so whether he is included in the lawsuit or not, he will inevitably be a part of the lawsuit.'

The 25-year-old boxer became a victim of cyberbullying after defeating the Italian boxer Angela Carini in the first match. The match only lasted for 46 seconds, and Carini said 'never felt such a powerful punch'.

After winning the women's 66kg boxing gold medal, Khelif responded to the controversy about her gender, and she told the Associated Press: 'I am a woman like other women. I was born a woman and live as a woman, but success always brings jealousy, and they can't digest my success.'

TapTechNews noticed that the British best-selling author J.K. Rowling had posted on the X platform to question the gender of Helif and called her a typical representative of the'men's rights movement'.

At the same time, Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, had retweeted and agreed with an X post by the American swimmer Riley Gaines, which said'men should not participate in women's sports'.

In addition to them, many people including the former US President Donald Trump, his vice presidential candidate JD Vance, and the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni questioned the IOC's decision to allow Helif to participate on social media. It is worth noting that Helif was banned from participating in the 2023 World Championships last year because she failed to pass the qualifying test set by the now-disbanded International Boxing Association.

Boudi said that the lawsuit is not only aimed at the above-mentioned people, but at all individuals and organizations involved in cyber violence. He emphasized that the French prosecutors have the right to cooperate with other national judicial institutions to pursue the responsibility of overseas people involved.

The IOC said in a statement: 'Everyone has the right to engage in sports without discrimination... All athletes participating in the boxing competition of the 2024 Paris Olympics meet the qualifications and participation regulations of the competition, as well as all relevant medical regulations set by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit (PBU).'