Imane Khelif mentioned Elon Musk and Donald Trump by name, saying the Olympics controversy was ‘very scary’
Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif has spoken out amid her ongoing cyberbullying lawsuit.
The Algerian boxer became an Olympic champion in Paris, but that didn’t come without its controversy.
It was Khelif’s fight against Italy’s Angela Carini that made all the headlines as the pair only exchanged a few punches before Italian boxer abandoned the bout altogether.
In 2023, Khelif was banned from the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships as she failed an unspecified gender eligibility test.
Imane Khelif with her gold medal. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
The boxer was born a woman and is listed as a woman on her passport, and was deemed eligible to compete by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the Olympics.
Khelif suffered horrendous trolling over the controversy, and she has since filed a lawsuit against a handful of individuals accused of having committed alleged ‘acts of aggravated cyber harassment’.
While no individuals have been named as defendants, the likes of JK Rowling and Elon Musk have been mentioned.
Elon Musk hit out at Khelif’s involvement. (Marc Piasecki/Getty Images)
As that comes to light, the boxer has broken her silence.
In an interview with El Birad, Khelif admitted she was ‘hurt a lot’ by the all the chatter surrounding her gender at the Olympics.
“But immediately after there was a big uproar from big politicians around the world, athletes around the world, and even artists and stars, Elon Musk, Trump.. this thing….. that affected me,” she told the Algerian-based news channel.
“I am not lying to you, it affected me. It affected me a lot, hurt me a lot. I can’t describe to you the amount of fear I had.”
She added: “The scenario was very scary. Thank god, all the people of Algeria and the Arab world knew Imane Khelif with her femininity, her courage, her will.
“Honestly, I don’t like to get into politics in sports, but they got into politics in sports. Sports and politics are two separate things
“These politicians who are oppressing me, they don’t have the right to say that I’m a transgender.”
Rowling took to Twitter during the Olympics and called Khelif a man.
JR Rowling has been named in the lawsuit. (Mike Marsland/WireImage)
The Harry Potter author also accused the Olympian of ‘enjoying the distress’ of Carini and ‘shattering’ her sporting ambitions.
Meanwhile, Musk shared a post from American swimmer Riley Gaines that again misgendered Khelif and said she doesn’t ‘belong in women’s sports’.
The Twitter owner added: “Absolutely.”
If Rowling and Musk lose the case against the boxer they could possibly face a spell behind bars.
UNILAD has previously reached out to Musk and Rowling’s representatives for comment.
News
Explore Ed Sheeran’s Unique Watch Collection: Which Watches Are Driving Fans Crazy?
British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran always appears with a watch on his wrist. They often come from the brands Patek Philippe, Rolex, Richard Mille,… Join Watch Hospital to explore Ed Sheeran’s watch collection in this article. Patek Philippe Ref. 5370 Sheeran…
Maple Leafs Shocked With Roster Cuts: Two Names Suddenly Leave
The Toronto Maple Leafs are making some of their final cuts to the roster, waiving a pair of players on Sunday The Toronto Maple Leafs are making a pair of roster moves on Sunday, although more will be needed before…
Watch: LeBron James deflects Devin Booker’s dunk attempt three lines after a great block.
Watch: Year 22 LeBron James sends Devin Booker’s layup attempt 3 rows back with incredible chase down block. (Source: Imagn) Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James made his preseason debut on Sunday ahead of the 2024-25 NBA regular season. After sitting out…
San Antonio Spurs Star Victor Wembanyama Creates Incredibly Dominating Starting Lineup of the Regular Season
Victor Wembanyama (Image Credits: Getty Images) The San Antonio Spurs star player Victor Wembanyama showcased stellar skills during the last NBA season. However, his efforts were not sufficient, as the team failed to enter the playoffs. As the 2024-25 NBA preseason started, fans were…
Social networks are going crazy with more heat than ever because of Angel Reese’s eye-catching outfit at the Bears-Panthers match
Angel Reese (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) Chicago Fire rookie forward Angel Reese is quickly becoming engrained into Chicago sports culture. For the second straight week, Reese found herself on the sidelines of an NFL game. Last week, she was sporting a Ravens…
NBA legend Karl Malone is once again criticized for his scandalous past following online rumors claiming that there were shocking developments in the relationship between him and his SPECIAL son when Karl Malone was 20 years old.
Karl Malone and Demetress Bell (Photos via Getty Images) NBA legend Karl Malone has again come under fire for his scandalous past following an online rumor claiming he has finally made peace with his son. It’s been widely known that…
End of content
No more pages to load