Boxing

IMANE Khelif has reportedly named Elon Musk and JK Rowling in a cyberbullying lawsuit – with her lawyer claiming Donald Trump’s tweets will also be probed.Olympic boxing champion Khelif is understood to have filed a criminal complaint to French authorities.Imane Khelif has reportedly filed a lawsuit naming JK Rowling and Elon MuskCredit: ReutersHarry Potter author Rowling slammed KhelifCredit: GettyTwitter owner Elon Musk shared a post calling Khelif a manCredit: GettyKhelif faced criticism after beating Italian boxer Angela Carini in just 46 secondsThe complaint details alleged “acts of aggravated cyber harassment” against the Algerian boxer.Khelif’s lawyer Nabil Boudi told Variety: “JK Rowling and Elon Musk are named in the lawsuit, among others.”Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution.”What we’re asking is that the prosecution investigates not only these people but whoever it feels necessary. Read More SportThe Parisian lawyer added: “If the case goes to court, they will stand trial.”Khelif won Olympic gold in the women’s 66kg boxing contest on Saturday after critics said her partipation risked women’s safety.The Algerian was born female and does not identify as transgender or intersex.But Khelif faced criticism on social media from a number of public figures saying she is male and should not be taking part.Most read in BoxingHarry Potter author Rowling slammed Khelif after her win over Italian boxer Angela Carini.Carini quit the round-of-16 bout just 46 seconds in – refusing to shake Khelif’s hand and claiming she had never been punched so hard.Rowling accused Khelif of being a man “enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head”.Twitter and Tesla owner Musk shared a post about Khelif claiming “men don’t belong in women’s sports”.And Trump posted a snap of the Khelif-Carini fight with the caption: “I will keep men out of women’s sports!”International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams previously defended Khelif.He said: “These athletes have competed many times before for many years, they haven’t just suddenly arrived – they competed in Tokyo.”The federation needs to make the rules to make sure that there is fairness.”But at the same time there is the ability for everyone to take part that wants to. That is a difficult balance.”In the end the experts for each sport are the people who work in that. “If there is a big advantage that clearly is not acceptable, but that needs to be a decision made at that level.”Last year Khelif was thrown out of last year’s World Championships in India after failing an unspecified gender test.International Boxing Association officials said tests showed Khelif had ‘XY chromosomes’ — which indicates a person is biologically male.But the IBA has still not revealed which tests it used or published the results.Rare ‘intersex’ medical conditions, medically known as differences in sexual development (DSDs), can also mean outwardly female individuals can have ‘male’ chromosomes, or vice versa.READ MORE SUN STORIESThe Russia-led IBA organised the World Champion­ships but is no longer recognised by the IOC – so Khelif was cleared to appear at the Olympics.Khelif also took part in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 with little hubbub but did not win a medal.CLEMMIE MOODIE Imane Khelif is world’s first fictional trans Olympian – those who labelled her ‘male’ were deeply irresponsible“IF it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck . . . then get it the duck out of the Olympic Games” appears to be messaging from Paris 2024.Many, then, think boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting will waddle their way to podium glory next week.But how deeply sad that a global event with so, so many stories — ones of triumph, adversity, heartbreak and sheer, hard work against all odds — should focus on the back stories of these two individuals.Everyone has their opinion. And everyone is entitled to their opinion.But those with the loudest, people such as JK Rowling — who should really get back to Privet Drive and lay off some of the militant anti-trans stuff — need to be careful.When the author labelled the athletes “male”, she knew what she was doing: Stirring up her cauldron of hatred and winding up the ill-informed masses.It was deeply irresponsible.Because in Algeria, where Khelif is from, it is illegal to be gay, let alone trans, which, let’s face it, is what the boxer stands accused of being.In effect, she has become the world’s first fictional trans Olympian.But she isn’t transgender. And never has been.Because, as is the case so regularly these days, mis-information, conspiracy and gross exaggeration are rife.And how tragically horrific if those vociferous individuals claiming to be standing up for women should see two women subsequently killed by hate mobs.Where was JK’s outrage over the convicted Dutch male rapist Steven van de Velde being allowed to compete in the beach volleyball?Or where, if she’s so concerned about advantageous hormones, was her anger over China’s gold medal-winning 4x100m medley team, which featured two swimmers who previously returned positive doping tests?Yesterday, the Algerian athlete tore into the scrutiny of her gender as “harmful to human dignity”, begging people to “refrain from bullying”.And then the International Boxing Association, the body which originally claimed the pair had failed “eligibility tests” without even categorically explaining what these tests are, openly bullied her.The IBA, which has been banned from regulating Olympic boxing because of governance problems, a lack of financial transparency and many perceived instances of corruption, let its clearly mad Russian chief Umar Kremlev do the talking.Kremlev ranted, sensitively: “The tests show they were men. We don’t verify what they have between their legs. We don’t know if they were born like that or if some changes were made.”Very unhelpfully, the boxers themselves and their governing bodies are also refusing to say exactly what tests they had done. And in this, some blame lies with them.Do the pair have conditions such as Swyer Syndrome which means they have female reproductive organs but higher levels of testosterone? Are they intersex? How raised is their testosterone?Of course, they shouldn’t have to drop their shorts and show the world their genitalia.But they must display more transparency.The IOC’s ham-fisted handling of testing procedures also needs addressing.And if these women really do have a grossly unfair advantage, then this must be dealt with — and yes, perhaps they should be competing against men, albeit in a lighter weight category.After all, the hurt feelings of these athletes mustn’t triumph over common sense and the well-being of their XX-chromosomed counterparts.Safety must come first, for everyone.And that means no more rumour, no more conspiracy theories and no more wild conjecture. Just facts. More