Celebrity author J.K. Rowling, billionaire Elon Musk and former US president Donald Trump have been named in a criminal complaint filed in France by newly crowned Olympic champion Imane Khelif, over alleged “acts of aggravated cyber harassment”.
Days after the Khelif touched down in her native Algeria to a heroes welcome, her legal team has put together a claim, which mentions several high profile figures who took to social media to air their opinions after Khelif defeated Italian Angela Carini in 46 seconds in Paris.
“J.K Rowling and Elon Musk are named in the lawsuit, among others,” Nabil Boudi, Khelif’s Paris-based attorney, told Variety.
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“Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution.”
The lawsuit was filed against X, which under French law means that it was filed against unknown persons, which ensures the “prosecution has all the latitude to be able to investigate against all people,” Boudi said.
Most of the attacks on Khelif came via social media, particularly on X/Twitter.
In one message to her 14.2 million followers, Rowling posted a picture from Khelif’s fight with Carini, accusing the Algerian fighter of being a man who was “enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head.”
Musk, shared a post from swimmer Riley Gaines that stated “men don’t belong in women’s sports.”
The billionaire X owner co-signed the message by writing: “Absolutely.”
Trump posted a message with a picture from the fight with Carini with the message: “I will keep men out of women’s sports!”.
Boudi said:”What we’re asking is that the prosecution investigates not only these people but whoever it feels necessary. If the case goes to court, they will stand trial.”
While the lawsuit was filed in France, Boudi said, “it could target personalities overseas,” and prosecutors can make requests for assistance from other countries.
Scrutiny toward Khelif exploded after her dominant win over the Italian as people — including world leaders and celebrities — questioned her eligibility or falsely claimed she was a man.
Algerians vigorously defended Khelif amid uninformed speculation about her gender, which they interpreted as a by-product of racism. They loudly made their presence known both in Paris and Algeria, where the gold medal fight was broadcast in public squares throughout the country.
But Khelif’s trainer based in France, Georges Cazorla, confirmed that tests Khelif took identified “a problem with hormones” and “with chromosomes”.
“This poor young girl was devastated, devastated to suddenly discover that she might not be a girl,’ he told French magazine Le Point.
“After the 2023 World Championships, where she was disqualified, I took the lead by contacting a renowned endocrinologist from the Parisian University Hospital, Kremlin-Bicêtre, who examined her.
“He confirmed that Imane is indeed a woman, despite her karyotype and her testosterone level. He said: ‘There is a problem with her hormones, with her chromosomes, but she is a woman.’ That’s all that mattered to us.
“We then worked with a doctor based in Algeria to monitor and regulate Imane’s testosterone level, which is currently within the female norm. Tests clearly show that all her muscular and other qualities have been diminishing since then.
“Currently, she can be compared on a muscular and biological level to a woman-woman-woman.”
Adding to the discourse was Spanish national coach Rafa Lozano, who revealed that pairing Khelif with another female boxer during a retreat ahead of the Olympics was a difficult task.
“They were doing a retreat at Blume and we couldn’t put her with anyone,’ he told Radio Marca.
‘We put her with Jennifer Fernandez and it hurt her. Whoever we put her with was injured.”
He said coaches only found a match for her after pairing her up with Jose Quiles, one of Spain’s leading male boxers.
“I don’t see it as fair,’ he said. ‘Everyone can think what they want, but that’s how I see it.”
