One of the biggest names to come out of this year's Olympics is Algerian boxer Imane Khelif—and not just because she won gold.
The 66-kilogram division champion took down China's Yang Liu in the event's final match of the Games, but not without facing endless online harassment concerning her gender identity.
After dealing with attacks from several public figures among other keyboard warriors in her mentions, Khelif decided enough was enough. Following her gold medal-winning performance, she officially took legal action against those who wrongly had her name in their mouths.
Here's everything you need to know about Khelif's cyberbullying lawsuit, which names both Elon Musk and J.K. Rowling, among other notable names.
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Imane Khelif lawsuit, explained
Khelif filed a complaint shortly after her gold medal victory last Friday over the online harassment she experienced throughout the 2024 Olympics. Her lawyer, Nabil Boudi, confirmed to Variety that she submitted the criminal complaint to the national center for combating online hate, which is part of the Paris correctional court.
The Algerian boxer filed the lawsuit against X, which under French law means it was filed against unknown persons. That allows for the investigation of the authors of the social media posts at issue, including those who wrote messages under pseudonyms.
Nevertheless, the filing goes on to name several public figures, Variety reports, and alludes to others who could be investigated. These individuals include Rowling, Musk, Donald Trump and Logan Paul, all of whom publicly attacked Khelif online.
Though the suit was filed in France, Boudi emphasized the possibility that targets overseas would not be spared. According to him, “the prosecutor’s office for combating online hate speech has the possibility to make requests for mutual legal assistance with other countries," and there are agreements between the French national center for combating online hate and its American equivalent.
Rowling reportedly deleted 27 tweets in the aftermath of the lawsuit. It's unclear whether those tweets were directed at Khelif, however. She's yet to tweet since Aug. 7, although her Twitter feed is still littered with posts seemingly spotlighting her views on Khelif, as well as trans and non-binary people at large.
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Imane Khelif gender controversy
Questions surrounding Khelif's biological sex and gender identity came to light after one of her Olympic opponents, Italy’s Angela Carini, surrendered in the first round of the match against Khelif and complained about the Algerian in the aftermath.
Khelif had been disqualified from the final of the World Championships in March 2023. International Boxing Association (IBA) president Umar Kremlev stated that the test results proved Khelif and other women’s athletes failed gender eligibility tests, though the nature of those tests remains unclear.
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It's important to note that the IBA, which is run by Russian oligarchs, has been banned from the Olympics since June 2023 because of its ties to the Kremlin. Because it took charge of the event, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) made the decision that Khelif and other women who received the same test results would be able to participate in the 2024 Games.
Even though the IOC defended its position staunchly throughout the ongoing controversy, Khelif still faced a barrage of harassment that her coach, Pedro Diaz, told Variety had "incredibly affected her" and "everyone around her."