Imane Khelif files legal complaint for online harassment

The Algerian boxer was the most talked about athlete at this year's Olympic Games in Paris.

Imane Khelif, the Algerian athlete at the centre of the Olympic eligibility row, has filed a legal complaint saying she has been a victim of online harassment.

The 25-year-old comfortably overcame her Chinese rival in Friday night’s final to win her first ever gold medal in the women's welterweight division.

The 25-year-old broke down in tears as the medal was placed around her neck, and she described how the recent attacks against her added a “special taste” to her success.

Now, Khelif's lawyer Nabil Boudi has revealed to France 24 that his client has filed a complaint with the Paris Prosecutor's Office.

Boudi said in a statement: "The boxer Imane Khelif has decided to begin a new fight, a fight for justice, dignity and honour."

He added that the complaint of "aggravated online harassment" was filed on Friday.

"The investigation will determine who was behind this misogynist, racist and sexist campaign," he added. "It will also have to concern itself with those who fed the online lynching."

The "iniquitous harassment" the boxing champion had been subjected to would remain "the biggest stain on these Olympic Games", said Boudi.

Seen as one of the biggest controversies of the Paris Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee is now deliberating over whether boxing will be allowed at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President, Thomas Bach, said in a press conference on Friday that the IOC has "not included the sport on the LA 2028 programme yet", and has urged national boxing federations to create a new global boxing body or risk missing out on the Olympics in four years' time.

Khelif and another boxer, featherweight Lin Yu-Ting of Chinese Taipei, have been fighting under a cloud in France after the Algerian’s opening victory over Angela Carini, who quit after 46 seconds.

The Italian took a punch to the face early on in the first round and immediately walked to her corner and signalled she would not carry on, refusing to shake the hand of her opponent.

Khelif was banned from competing in a gold medal match in Delhi by the International Boxing Association last year after failing an eligibility test, but has been permitted to fight at these Olympics.

On Friday night, she overcame China’s Yang Liu by unanimous decision to win gold in the women’s welterweight final.

She won each of the three rounds on the judges’ scorecards and jumped into the arms of her trainer when the decision was announced.

He carried the 25-year-old – who proudly held the Algerian flag high above her head – around the arena on his shoulders in celebration.

Imane Khelif after receiving her Women's Welterweight Olympic Gold medal 🥺🥇#Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/z8j0QtJsEN

— Eurosport (@eurosport) August 9, 2024