The Paris Olympics boxing champion, Imane Khelif, has lodged a legal complaint in France for online harassment, her lawyer announced on August 10, 2024. According to her lawyer, Nabil Boudi, this is a complaint of ‘serious online aggression’ to pull out the perpetrators of an abusive campaign against her.

Boudi described the harassment as a serious issue that amounted to a big stain on the Olympics. Khelif claimed the women’s 66kg boxing final, defeating China’s Yang Liu on August 9, 2024, only to face ongoing scrutiny in the coming months over her eligibility to fight as a female.

Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting faced a ban from last year’s world championships due to gender eligibility tests, but the IOC cleared them to compete in Paris, sparking widespread controversy. With her victory, Khelif responded to questions about her legitimacy: ‘I am fully qualified to take part; I am a woman like any other. I was born a woman, lived as a woman, and competed as a woman.’

Gender Dispute Fuels Boxing’s Olympic Uncertainty

The International Olympic Committee organized the boxing events in Paris because it was concerned about how the International Boxing Association managed the sport. IBA President Umar Kremlev said Khelif and Lin had both undergone ‘genetic testing’ to prove they are men. That addition to the argument led to this dispute, but the IOC cleared them to box.

IOC President Thomas Bach said the organization would decide in the first half of next year whether boxing will feature in the 2028 Los Angeles Games. He urged national federations in boxing to find a dependable international partner, adding that the International Olympic Committee was ready to reassess the issue of gender provided it is presented with a scientifically sound system. He criticized the use of defamation or political interests in determining one’s eligibility, underscoring that only a credible approach would solve such disputes.