Al Horford's sister Anna Horford shares message urging Imane Khelif to take legal action against misinformation
The sister of newly minted NBA champion Al Horford of the Boston Celtics, Anna Horford, is rallying behind Algerian Olympic boxer Imane Khelif. Horford took to her Instagram to show her support for the embattled boxer, who was the subject of a lot of scrutiny and abuse online over misconceptions about her gender.
In an Instagram story, Horford shared a social media comment by English actor Jameela Jamil, who urged the Olympian to take legal action against those who incited hate toward her.
Behind that caption is a post by popular Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, who was one of those who falsely claimed Imane Khelif was a man or a transgender competing in the women's division.
"Hope Imane is ok. And then whe she feels better I hope she sues the living hell out of everyone with a big platform who incited hatred against her using misinformation."
Check out the screenshot of her IG story post below:
Imane Khelif faced a huge outcry after the International Boxing Association brought up that she failed to compete last year at the Women's World Championships after she failed a gender eligibility test (although it was not specified what kind of test it was) for high levels of testosterone.
The development came after her opening match at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games on Aug. 1, where her opponent Angela Carini of Italy abandoned the fight just 46 seconds into the contest after absorbing a solid punch to the face. The Italian boxer said in quitting, she just wanted to "preserve my life."
What ensued was a lot of hate and criticism directed at Khelif, including the one from Rowling, for competing in the women's division.
The International Olympic Committee, however, defended her. It said the 25-year-old Tiaret native has always competed in the women's division and that the organization recognizes her as a female athlete.
"'The Algerian boxer was born female, was registered female, live her life as a female, boxed as a female, has a female passport,' IOC spokesman Mark Adams clarified."
Some who blasted Khelif have since apologized, including Carini, who admitted that after the IOC explanation, it all became clear to her.
Imane Khelif moving forward in Olympic bid, assured of a medal
While she received undue hate and criticism over misconceptions about her gender, Imane Khelif has moved forward in her 2024 Paris Olympic Games bid. She is already assured of a medal for reaching the semifinals of the 66kg category of the women's boxing division.
The Algerian boxer is set to face Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand in the semifinals on Aug. 7 at the Roland-Garros Stadium.
She earned a spot in the semis after defeating Italian Angela Carini of Italy in the Round of 16. She then scored a points victory over Hungary's Anna Luca Hamori in the quarterfinals.
If she wins her semifinal match, Imane Khelif could either face Nien Chin Chen of Chinese Taipei or Liu Yang of China in the gold medal match.