Imane Khelif, the Algerian boxer and gold medallist at Paris Olympics 2024, is making headlines again but this time for another reason. Caught in a gender row recently, the athlete recently underwent a makeover, as a viral video clip revealed. The gender row was triggered after the International Boxing Association (IBA) barred Imane Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting from participating in the World Boxing Championship in 2023 due to the presence of XY chromosomes.
This year, the 25-year-old boxer became a victim of online harassment after her first fight at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris against Italy's Angela Carini, who gave up just after 46 seconds. Despite being a victim of online harassment and labelled a ‘biological male,’ Imane Khelif did not lose focus and went on to become the first Algerian woman ever to win Olympic gold. She took a legal route soon after her victory to file a formal complaint against online harassment.
The complaint also mentioned Tesla owner Elon Musk and famous British author JK Rowling. After filing the lawsuit, the athlete termed social media reaction ‘immoral’ and said, “I want to change the minds of people around the world,” reported Reuters. Meanwhile, Imane Khelif's lawyer Nabil Boudi said, “The boxer Imane Khelif has decided to begin a new fight, a fight for justice, dignity and honour,” reported AFP.
He added, “The investigation will determine who was behind this misogynist, racist and sexist campaign, but will also have.