GOLD medal winner Imane Khelif has reportedly filed a formal legal complaint following the Olympic boxing gender row.
The participation of Khelif and Lin Yu-ting, who also won gold in Paris, became a worldwide story due to their 2023 expulsion by IBA for failing ‘gender eligibilty tests’.
The likes of Elon Musk and JK Rowling were among those who reacted to the news on social media and now it has been reported that Khelif has taken legal action for what has been described as online abuse.
Attorney Nabil Boudi, who claims to be Khelif’s attorney, confirmed via a statement that he has asked his legal firm to file a complaint on the boxer’s behalf with the Paris prosecutor’s office.
Boudi said: “Having just won a gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, boxer Imane Khelif has decided to lead a new fight: that of justice, dignity and honour.
“Ms Khelif contacted the firm, which filed a complaint yesterday for acts of aggravated cyber harassment with the anti-online hatred center of the Paris public prosecutor’s office.
“The unfair harassment suffered by the boxing champion will remain the biggest stain of these Olympic Games.”
Algeria’s Khelif won gold in the women’s 66kg category but the story exploded in her very first bout when Italian Angela Carini quit inside a minute because she could not stand her opponent’s power. Carini later apologised for how she handled the aftermath of the bout.
Yu-ting, meanwhile, won the gold at 57kg after being Poland’s Julia Szeremeta on Saturday. She cried on the podium as the Chinese Taipei flag was raised.
And, speaking to the South China Morning Post, the boxer said she might follow Khelif’s lead when it comes to legal proceedings.
She said: “This is something I will discuss with my team. We will decide later what the next step will be.”