Following massive hostility towards the Algerian boxer Imane Khelif during the Olympic Games, the French judiciary is investigating. An investigation has been launched into cyberbullying based on gender, public insults and public calls for discrimination, the Paris public prosecutor’s office said in response to a request from the German Press Agency. According to the authority, Khelif filed a complaint on Monday.
The office responsible for hate crimes and crimes against humanity is said to be responsible. The public prosecutor’s office did not disclose who the investigation is directed against.
:XY unsolved
The discussion about the gender and the Olympic victory of two female boxers has overshadowed the Summer Games. The IOC is whispering about a Russian conspiracy. In fact, a reconstruction of the case reveals a sports-political farce. In the leading role: the IOC itself.
Khelif’s lawyer Nabil Boudi wrote on the internet platform X that the investigation should show who was behind the “misogynistic, racist and sexist campaign” against the boxer. At the same time, it should also focus on those who fueled the “digital lynching”.
Apparently, the ad also mentions the writer JK Rowling and the tech billionaire Elon Musk. This is reported by the US magazine Variety with reference to the lawyer. US presidential candidate Donald Trump is also part of the investigation, it is said.
The fights of 25-year-old Khelif were accompanied by an emotional gender debate during the Olympics, just like that of 28-year-old Lin Yi-ting from Taiwan. The debate went far beyond the question of fair competition in sporting terms and also reached the highest political circles. In the sociopolitically heated atmosphere, both athletes experienced a lot of hostility on the Internet.
:Suddenly the heroine of Roland Garros
The medal fights for the boxing competitions will take place in the converted tennis stadium. Imane Khelif, who is now celebrated and supported by the Algerian-French community in Paris, will be there.
Both boxers were excluded from the 2023 World Cup after gender tests that have not yet been explained in detail by the IBA, which is not recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). According to the IBA, both did not meet the required participation criteria and had “competitive advantages compared to other female participants.”
The IOC called it an “arbitrary decision without due process” and allowed Khelif and Lin to compete in Paris. The gender stated in the passport is decisive for admission to competitions in many sports, was one reason given.