Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif files cyberbullying lawsuit against Elon Musk & JK Rowling, Donald Trump also expected to be investigated: Reports

By Janhavi Shinde

Modified Aug 14, 2024 08:22 GMT

The Paris Olympics gold medalist Imane Khelif filed a lawsuit against Tesla and Space X founder Elon Musk, British author JK Rowling, and former U.S. president Donald Trump, according to a report in Variety. Khelif clinched a gold medal in the women's 66kg boxing in Paris. The Algerian boxer earned the gold medal after locking horns with China's Liu Yang in the final, whom she defeated winning the bout in a unanimous decision.

Khelif received considerable media attention after her opponent Angela Carini withdrew from the competition during their bout. During their Round of 16 bout, Carini backed out from facing the Algerian boxer within a minute, stating "never felt a punch like this."

Following this bout, reports of Khelif's eligibility test, conducted during the 2023 World Championships in New Delhi, India, surfaced and were shared on social media. The 25-year-old had allegedly failed the gender eligibility test last year, but the details of the test have not been made public by the IBA. However, the IOC rejected the test, citing a lack of integrity, and permitted Khelif to compete in the Olympics.

Amidst this row, prominent public figures, including Musk, Rowling, and the former U.S. president Trump criticized the boxer after the latter was deemed transgender by some. Although the complaint was filed against X, which under French law means unknown persons, it includes the famous public figures mentioned here, according to reports citing Nabil Boudi, the Paris-based attorney of Khelif.

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Imane Khelif faced criticism from famous personalities

Imane Khelif of Algeria celebrates during the Boxing Women's 66kg medal ceremony after the Boxing Women's 66kg final at the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris (Photo by Getty Images)

Imane Khelif drew criticism from various popular figures across fields, including Elon Musk, JK Rowling, Donald Trump, and former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines.

Gaines, who has been an advocate of women's safety in sports and has voiced her opinion against the inclusion of transgender athletes in women's sports, shared a post on X (formerly Twitter):

"Imane Khelif is an Olympic finalist....contending for a gold medal....in women's boxing....as a male, " she wrote. "Why have women's sports at all if any mediocre male can compete in them?"

Earlier, Gaines had shared a post after Khelif's walkover victory over Italian pugilist Angela Carini, which said:

"Men don't belong in women's sports #IStandWithAngelaCarini Let's get it trending",

Musk had replied to this post, writing:

"Absolutely."

Meanwhile, British author Rowling gave her take on Khelif as well as the organizers, saying:

"Watch this (whole thread), then explain why you’re OK with a man beating a woman in public for your entertainment," she wrote. "This isn’t sport. From the bullying cheat in red all the way up to the organisers who allowed this to happen, this is men revelling in their power over women."

By earning the gold medal, Khelif became the first woman Olympic gold medalist in boxing for Algeria, as well as the first Arab woman to do so.