Why Imane Khelif has named JK Rowling and Elon Musk in lawsuit following Olympic success
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has launched a legal complaint against alleged harassment following her Olympic win - and there's a couple of huge-names included in it.
Despite Khelif making history as Algeria’s first woman to ever win a Gold in boxing at the Olympics, the sportswoman's victory was somewhat tainted after controversy arose regarding her gender.
Italian boxer Angela Carini sensationally threw in the towel after just 46 seconds before bursting into tears and refusing to shake Khelif's hand - with Carini later expressing regret over the situation.
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Following that, it was claimed that Khelif and another female boxer, Li Yu Ting, had allegedly failed the International Boxing Association's (IBA) gender eligibility test.
Both women were backed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), however, Khelif was subjected to ceaseless comments from countless spectators - with the Algerian Olympic Committee calling them 'baseless' attacks.
Khelif herself also issued a response to the backlash she was getting.
And following the conclusion of this year's games, the boxer has since launched a lawsuit against a handful of individuals who've been named by French authorities as having committed alleged 'acts of aggravated cyber harassment'.
Amongst those to have been listed in the lawsuit so far are Harry Potter author JK Rowling and Twitter and Tesla CEO, Elon Musk - which were confirmed to Variety by Khelif's lawyer Nabil Boudi.
The author took to Twitter during the Olympic Games, where she referred to Khelif as a 'male', and also accused her of 'enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head, and whose life’s ambition he’s just shattered'.
And in the case of Musk, he shared a post from American swimmer Riley Gaines that claimed: "Men don’t belong in women’s sports".
To which Musk responded: "Absolutely."
Boudi also added that former US president, Donald Trump could also be part of the investigation.
Trump took to his Truth Social outlet declared in capital letters: "I will keep men out of women’s sports."
"Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution," Khelif's lawyer further explained.
He went on to state that, though the complaint mentions names, 'what we’re asking is that the prosecution investigates not only these people but whoever it feels necessary'.
"If the case goes to court, they will stand trial." he said.
Tyla has contacted Rowling and Musk's representatives for comment.
Topics: Imane Khelif, JK Rowling, Celebrity, Sport, Olympics
Rhianna Benson