The Paris 2024 Olympics was always going to bring eyes on the sport, as suspicions that we may now have witnessed the last time that boxing was included in the games. However, further attention was brought onto boxing with the controversy and abuse that surrounded both Imane Khelif and Lin Yu Ting. After both women picked up gold medals, it has now been revealed that Khelif has filed a lawsuit for cyber-bullying, with a number of high-profile figures being named in the legal document.
A lack of clarity as to whether the pair have failed gender tests meant that the pair went viral for all of the wrong reasons, with the IBA’s lack of communication on the matter adding further fuel to the fire and leading to criticism of the IOC – who opted to include both in the games despite being banned from the 2023 World Championships.
Political disagreements between the IBA and the IOC have led to personal damage for both Khelif and Lin Yu Ting, both achieving lifelong goals of winning Olympic gold but those accomplishments being overshadowed by doubts surrounding their eligibility.
Now that the Olympics have commenced, Khelif is seeking retribution for the pain that she has suffered during recent weeks and has filed a lawsuit for cyber harassment, targeting high-profile celebrities who have spread misinformation since her participation in the games went viral, as per Variety.
“In a statement sent to Variety, the Paris Prosecutor’s Office (National Center for the Fight Against Online Hatred), confirmed it received the complaint filed by Khelif and announced that an investigation had been launched.
“On Aug. 13, (The National Center for the Fight Against Online Hatred) contacted the OCLCH (Central Office for the Fight Against Crimes Against Humanity and Hate Crimes) to conduct an investigation into the counts of cyber harassment due to gender, public insult because of gender, public incitement to discrimination and public insult because of origin.”
“The lawsuit was filed against X, which under French law means that it was filed against unknown persons. That “ensure[s] that the ‘prosecution has all the latitude to be able to investigate against all people,” including those who may have written hateful messages under pseudonyms, said Boudi. The complaint nevertheless mentions famously controversial figures.”
“J. K. Rowling and Elon Musk are named in the lawsuit, among others,” he said, adding that Donald Trump would be part of the investigation. “Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution.”
J.K. Rowling in particular has been vocal in her disagreements with Khelif’s inclusion at Paris 2024, labelling Khelif as a ‘man’ as well as a ‘bullying cheat’ on her X profile.
“Watch this (whole thread), then explain why you’re OK with a man beating a woman in public for your entertainment. This isn’t sport. From the bullying cheat in red all the way up to the organisers who allowed this to happen, this is men revelling in their power over woman.”
Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting both went on to win gold medals in the welterweight and featherweight divisions respectively, an achievement made all the more impressive considering the stress and scrutiny that they had been under throughout the tournament.
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