Boxer Imane Khelif made a legal complaint on Friday, August 10 against all the online harassment. She recently won a gold medal for her country in the women’s welterweight boxing after defeating China’s Yang Liu at the Paris Olympics. Khelif was trolled relentlessly since the gender controversy began after her match with Italian boxer, Angela Carini.
Imane Khelif clap backs at trolls with a legal complaint
The Algerian boxer filed a legal complaint against hate comments which claimed she was not a woman after her victory at the Olympics. Khelif’s lawyer, Nabil Boudi mentioned stated that a formal complaint was filed against the online harassment. The gold medalist said, “All that is being said about me on social media is immoral. I want to change the minds of people around the world,” about her move to file a complaint.
Khelif further added, “For eight years, this has been my dream, and I’m now the Olympic champion and gold medalist,” as reported by the interpreter to AP. Khelif was asked about the gender scrutiny which surrounded her for the past few days, she said, “That also gives my success a special taste because of those attacks. We are in the Olympics to perform as athletes, and I hope that we will not see any similar attacks in future Olympics.”
{{/usCountry}}Khelif further added, “For eight years, this has been my dream, and I’m now the Olympic champion and gold medalist,” as reported by the interpreter to AP. Khelif was asked about the gender scrutiny which surrounded her for the past few days, she said, “That also gives my success a special taste because of those attacks. We are in the Olympics to perform as athletes, and I hope that we will not see any similar attacks in future Olympics.”
{{/usCountry}}The gender scrutiny began after her opponent, Carini, backed out of the match due to health concerns and parted with the statement, “I have never felt a punch like this,” while crying.
‘I’m a woman’: Imane Khelif
While Khelif was one of the two women who were allowed to participate in the Olympics after they were disqualified from the International Boxing Association’s women’s world championship last year, the association is now banned. The other athlete was Taiwanese player Li Yu-ting. According to the announcement by IBA, both the players failed the testosterone and gender eligibility test. However, Khelif who was raised as a female since childhood said, “I’m fully qualified to take part in this competition. I’m a woman like any other woman. I was born as a woman, I live as a woman, and I am qualified” right before winning herself a gold.