PUNCHING BACK

Olympic Champion Boxer Files Complaint Over Gender-Related Harassment

Imane Khelif fought her way through false claims about her gender to secure a gold medal at the Paris Olympics.

After weeks at the center of a disinformation-fueled gender controversy at the Paris Olympics, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has lodged a complaint with French authorities over what her lawyers describe as a campaign of online bullying “fueled by malicious individuals.” Variety reports that Khelif, who has elevated levels of testosterone but was born and identifies as female, submitted her claim Monday with the Paris Prosecutor’s Office. The office is now expected to open an investigation into posts and messages spreading misinformation about Khelif’s gender, which often “exceeded 100 million views” and in many cases were “posted by important political figures.” Those included Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, while other prominent figures included Elon Musk, J.K. Rowling, and Logan Paul. Ahead of securing the gold on Friday, Khelif spoke out about the impact of her experience, urging people to “refrain from bullying all athletes, because this has massive, massive effects.”