Imane Khelif is taking action.
Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif has filed a legal complaint over online abuse she received from people who questioned her gender in the 2024 Olympic games.
a statement posted Sunday to Instagram, Khelif's attorney, Nabil 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 honor. 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."
Boudi added he asked for the criminal investigation to determine who initiated the "misogynistic, racist and sexist campaign" against Khelif.
Khelif's gender was questioned by many, including WWE superstar Logan Paul, author J.K. Rowling, and WWE Hall of Famer Donald Trump due to the International Boxing Association's decision to disqualify Khelif and fellow two-time Olympian Li Yu-ting of Taiwan from last year's world championships, claiming both failed an eligibility test for women's competition. IBA officials have declined to answer questions about their decision.
Khelif and Lin are allowed to fight under the International Olympic Committee's guidelines on gender eligibility Khelif fought in the 2020 Olympics, but did not medal.
"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," Khelif said after winning gold.
The IOC has repeatedly reaffirmed the two boxers' right to compete in Paris, with president Thomas Bach calling the criticism "hate speech."
