Elon Musk, J.K. Rowling named in cyberbullying suit by Olympic boxing star Imane Khelif
- Khelif, who won an Olympic gold medal in women’s boxing in Paris, faced intense scrutiny over her biological sex and gender identity
Olympic champion boxer Imane Khelif filed a complaint in France that named billionaire Elon Musk and author J.K. Rowling as among the high-profile figures to amplify the online attacks against her, according to Variety.
Khelif’s lawyer Nabil Boudi told Variety that Musk and Rowling were named in a criminal complaint that claims she was a victim of cyber-harassment related to her gender identity. Boudi said in a statement posted on X that it was a “misogynist, racist and sexist campaign”.
Khelif, who won a gold medal for Algeria in women’s welterweight boxing in Paris, faced intense scrutiny during the Olympics over her biological sex and gender identity, including baseless claims that she is a transgender woman or a cisgender man.
Last year, she was disqualified from the world boxing championships after a controversial boxing association said she failed an eligibility test.
The debate intensified when one of Khelif’s Olympic opponents, Italy’s Angela Carini, surrendered in the first round of their fight, saying she had “never felt a punch like this”.
That triggered a flood of hateful messages on social media alleging that Khelif was a man posing as a woman to cheat. Rowling and Musk were among the high-profile individuals to post about Khelif being a “man”.
