"It affected me a lot, hurt me a lot"-Imane Khelif opens up on vitriol she received from Donald Trump & Elon Musk at Paris Olympics

By Riddhi Acharya

Modified Aug 15, 2024 01:56 GMT

After weeks of silence about the vitriol she received during her campaign at the Paris Olympics, Imane Khelif spoke out about her experience facing the hate. The Algerian was one of two controversial boxers at the Games, and people on the internet, including famous personalities like Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and JK Rowling were quick to spread misinformation about her being a transgender athlete.

The controversy stemmed from the fact that Khelif, along with Chinese Taipei's Lin Yu-ting had earlier been disqualified from the IBA World Championships, with the federation claiming that the two boxers had failed ‘gender tests’. However, the International Olympic Committee allowed the two to compete, leading to public outcry.

For Imane Khelif, the hate and scrutiny doubled after her first opponent, Italy’s Angela Carini, pulled out of their match after just 46 seconds, claiming she had never been punched so hard. The Algerian notably declined to comment, going on to win gold in her weight class, and is now responding to all the hate she received during her time in Paris.

Speaking to a local channel, the boxer called the uproar around her participation at the Games hurtful, saying:

“There was a big uproar from big politicians around the world, big athletes around the world, and even artists and stars. Elon Musk, Donald Trump, this thing affected me, I'm not lying to you, it affected me. It affected me a lot, it hurt me a lot. I can't describe to you the amount of fear I had.”

Imane Khelif went on to add that she had been afraid, but was able to overcome her fears.

“I was afraid, but thank God, I was able to overcome this stage. Thanks to the specialist who helped me overcome this stage. And what can I say about this stage, it won't be enough. It was a very difficult stage, the scenario was very scary. Thank God all the people of Algeria and the Arab world knew Imane Khelif with her femininity, her courage, her will.”

The Algerian further discussed the speculation that she was a transgender athlete, insisting that she believes politics and sports don't go hand and hand, and that no one has a right to define her identity.

“Honestly I don't like to get into politics in sports, but they got into politics in sports. Sports and politics are two separate things. These politicians who are oppressing me don't have the right to say that I'm transgender.”

‘This is a big shame for my family, for the honor of my family, for the honor of Algeria, for the women of Algeria and especially for the Arab world. The whole world knows that I'm a Muslim girl.”

Imane Khelif files harassment case

Olympic Games Paris 2024 - Boxing - Source: Getty

While Imane Khelif declined to speak about the controversy surrounding her and Lin Yu-ting’s participation at the Paris Olympics for the duration of the competition, the Algerian is now taking decisive action about the issues. She had filed a legal complaint against the social media platform X for harassment.

French prosecutors have since opened a probe into a cyberbullying claim, with reports on Wednesday claiming that JK Rowling, X owner Elon Musk, and former US President Donald Trump are amongst the famous personalities named in the complaint filed by the boxer's lawyer, Nabil Boudi.

Following her controversial bout against Angela Carini, Imane Khelif beat Luca Hamori, Janjaem Suwannapheng and Yang Liu to win the 66 kg gold at the Paris Olympics.