Algeria’s Imane Khelif Files Harassment Case after Gender Row

The winner of 66 kg weight for women’s boxing in the Paris Olympics 2024, Imane Khelif, came again into the limelight on August 1, 2024, during her first match against Italy’s Angela Carini. The Italian boxer abandoned her match within 46 seconds, claiming she had never faced such strong blows from any woman in her boxing career. This incident led to widespread controversies over the internet, with people speculating about her gender and prominent personalities posting against the Algerian boxer’s unfair advantage on the eminent social media platform, ‘X’.

Although screenshots of posts on X suggesting Khelif would sue for offending her stemmed from a suspended account impersonating the athlete. However, after winning her finals on 9 August 2024, she filed a legal complaint against ‘X’ that, under French laws, would include ’unknown persons’ for online harassment in France on 10 August 2024. According to the French administration, harassment via the internet, known as cyberstalking, is a crime punishable by a fine and/or imprisonment of up to 10 years. New legislation was also enacted on 7 July 2023 to establish a digital majority and combat online hate.

Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting had been disqualified earlier by the International Boxing Association (IBA) for failing gender eligibility tests, however, the IOC had scrapped the decision after revoking the IBA’s status as boxing’s governing body.

South African athlete Caster Semenya, Indian athlete Dutee Chand, and female basketball player Brittney Griner—have all been subject to scrutiny on the issues of their gender. Hence, the decision of the complaint filed by Imane Khelif would be crucial to safeguarding women from such harassment in the future.