Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk and JK Rowling with French authorities alleging “acts of serious cyber harassment” after they sparked an outcry against her participation in the Paris Olympic Games.
Nabil Boudi, the gold medalist’s Paris-based lawyer, told Variety that both the Tesla mogul and the Harry Potter author were named in the criminal complaint filed last week with the prosecutor’s anti-online hate center.
The lawsuit was filed against Musk’s social network X, which under French law means it was filed against “unknown persons.”
This will ensure that “the public prosecutor’s office has all the freedom to investigate all persons,” Boudi explained, including those who have spread hate messages under pseudonyms.
“The lawsuit names JK Rowling and Elon Musk, among others,” Boudi wrote on X, noting that Donald Trump will also be part of the investigation.
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif accuses Elon Musk and JK Rowling of cyber harassment
The Olympic champion’s lawyer filed a lawsuit against X and named the prominent stars
“Trump tweeted, so he will inevitably be investigated as part of law enforcement whether or not he is named in our lawsuit,” he added.
The news comes days after Khelif won the gold medal in the women’s boxing competition in the 66-kilogram class.
She emerged victorious after surviving a major election campaign during which she faced a barrage of questions about her gender.
The 25-year-old, who is not a transgender woman, reportedly has male “XY chromosomes,” which led to her disqualification from the 2023 World Championship when she failed unspecified gender suitability tests administered by the now-banned International Boxing Federation.
Her participation in the games against female boxers sparked an outcry among some celebrities, including Musk and Rowling.
“The lawsuit names JK Rowling and Elon Musk, among others,” her lawyer wrote on X
Nabil Boudi said he hoped that the “public prosecutor [will] investigate all people’
Trump shared a clip of Khelif’s fight against Cerini and said he would “keep men out of women’s sports”
In a post, Rowling shared a photo of Khelif’s fight with Italian Angela Carini and accused the Algerian of being a man who “enjoys the suffering of a woman he just hit on the head.”
Musk, for his part, re-shared swimmer Riley Gaines’ post claiming that “men don’t belong in women’s sports.”
“Absolutely,” added the Space X boss.
Meanwhile, Trump simply wrote, “I will keep men out of women’s sports,” next to a snapshot of Khelif’s fight with Carini.
The backlash against the boxer began when Carini gave up the fight after just 46 seconds after she was hit twice, probably suffered a broken nose and could hardly throw a punch.
The Italian then sank to her knees, hit the mat in frustration and refused to shake Khelif’s hand as she conceded her victory.
In the meantime, The Olympic chiefs confirmed their decision to allow Khelif – And TaiwanLin Yu-ting from – to participate in the 2023 World Cup after being disqualified.
Shortly after the event, the IBA’s status was withdrawn by the IOC due to governance problems and alleged corruption.
The 25-year-old is allowed to compete in the women’s category at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Angela Carini gave up her fight with Khelif after 46 seconds before bursting into tears
“Everyone has the right to play sports without discrimination,” said an IOC statement, which also denounced “misleading information about two female athletes.”
“The IOC is saddened by the insults the two athletes are currently being subjected to.”