Paris gold medallist Imane Khelif said she felt “wronged” by the online campaign that labelled her transgender, saying it was a “disgrace” to her honour and the Arab world.
As French prosecutors opened an investigation into an online harassment complaint made by the Olympic boxing champion, Khelif spoke to an Algerian news channel, describing the hurt she felt after the torrent of criticism and false claims were made about her sex during the Summer Games.
Khelif named the likes of Elon Musk and Donald Trump during the interview, saying the commentary “hurt me a lot”.
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“Immediately after there was a lot of noise from politicians, athletes, stars, artists — Elon Musk and Donald Trump — and that hurt me a lot, I cannot describe how scared I was,” she told news channel El Birad.
“I was afraid that I would say, ‘Why did Imane Khelif insist on this? Why was there an uproar from big politicians around the world?’.
“I was afraid, but thank God, I was able to overcome this situation thanks to the therapists who were helping me.”
Khelif said the storm of abuse was totally unexpected and slammed “politicians” when asked how she felt about Trump using her win over Angela Carini for political gain.
“I do not like to bring politics into sports,” she said.
“Politics and sports are two different things. These politicians wronged me. They have no right to call me a transgender.
“This is a disgrace to my honour and the honour of my family and to Algeria, and to the entire Arab world.
“The whole world knows that I am a Muslim woman. To everyone who would like to apologise, I will accept if they apologise. I am sending my message that I am a female and I will remain a female.”
Khelif came home to a heroes’ welcome in Algeria this week, with fellow Algerians leaping to her defence in the face of criticism.
An editorial in government daily El Moudjahid praised Khelif.
“Imane’s victory is also a victory for the oppressed and the excluded, but above all it is a victory for the law, which for too long has been trampled by the logic of the powerful, who are greedy for domination and adept at double-standard policies,” it said.
The athlete’s lawyer Nabil Boudi filed a legal complaint with a special unit in the Paris prosecutor’s office that combats online hate speech.
Boudi said the boxer was targeted by a “misogynist, racist and sexist campaign” as she won gold in the women’s welterweight division, becoming a hero in her native Algeria and bringing global attention to women’s boxing.
The prosecutor’s office said it had received the complaint and its Office for the Fight against Crimes against Humanity and Hate Crime had opened an investigation on charges of “cyber harassment based on gender, public insults based on gender, public incitement to discrimination and public insults on the basis of origin”.
Claims that Khelif was transgender or a man erupted online. The International Olympic Committee defended her and denounced those peddling misinformation. Khelif said that the spread of misconceptions about her “harms human dignity.”
Among those who referred to Khelif as a man in critical online posts were Trump, JK Rowling. Musk reposted a comment calling Khelif a man.
Khelif’s legal complaint was filed against X, instead of a specific perpetrator – a common formulation under French law that leaves it up to investigators to determine which person or organisation may have been at fault.
In Algeria, Khelif’s former coach Mustapha Bensaou said the boxer’s complaint in France was initiated by the Algerian authorities and should “serve as a lesson in defending the rights and honour (of athletes) in Algeria and around the world.”
“All those involved will be prosecuted for violating Imane’s dignity and honour,” Bensaou said in an interview with The Associated Press. He added: “The attacks on Imane were designed to break her and undermine her morale. Thank God, she triumphed.”
The investigation is one of several underway by France’s hate crimes unit that are connected to the Olympics.
It is also investigating alleged death threats and cyberbullying against Kirsty Burrows, an official in charge of the IOC’s unit for safeguarding and mental health, after she defended Khelif during a news conference in Paris.
Under French law, the crimes, if proven, carry prison sentences that range from two to five years and fines ranging from 30,000 to 45,000 euros.
The unit is also examining complaints over death threats, harassment or other abuse targeting six people involved in the Games’ opening ceremony, including its director Thomas Jolly.
– with AP
