Featured Image Credit: Marc Piasecki/Richard Pelham/Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images
Topics: Boxing, Olympics, Elon Musk, JK Rowling, Imane Khelif
Callum Jones
Topics: Boxing, Olympics, Elon Musk, JK Rowling, Imane Khelif
Both Elon Musk and JK Rowling could face huge fines and possibly even a prison sentence if Imane Khelif wins her cyberbullying lawsuit.
The Algerian boxer made headlines during this year's Olympics after becoming embroiled in a gender eligibility test row.
It was Khelif's fight against Italy's Angela Carini that propelled her into the spotlight as the pair only exchanged a few punches before Italian boxer abandoned the bout altogether. The fight lasted just 46 seconds.
Reports later surfaced that Khelif was disqualified from the IBA Women's World Boxing Championships as she failed an unspecified 'gender eligibility' test.
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Khelif was born a woman and is listed as a woman in her passport.
As for the Paris Games, the athlete was deemed eligible to compete by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and ended up taking the gold medal after winning the women's 66kg boxing final against China's Yang Liu.
Khelif's participation in the Olympics led to protests from a few famous faces, including Musk and Rowling.
Following the conclusion of the sporting tournament, the boxer has launched a lawsuit against individuals who've been named by French authorities as having committed alleged 'acts of aggravated cyber harassment'.
Nabil Boudi, the attorney for Khelif, told Variety both Musk and Rowling were named in the complaint which was filed with the anti-online hatred center of the Paris public prosecutor’s office.
The Harry Potter author took to Twitter during the Olympics, where she referred to Khelif as a 'male'.
Rowling also accused the boxer of 'enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head, and whose life’s ambition he’s just shattered'.
As for Musk, he shared a post from American swimmer Riley Gaines that claimed: "Men don’t belong in women’s sports."
Musk added: "Absolutely."
Boudi also said Donald Trump could also be part of further investigations.
The former US president took to his Truth Social outlet to say: "I will keep men out of women’s sports."
Khelif's lawyer explained: "Trump tweeted, so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit, he will inevitably be looked into as part of the prosecution."
While the complaint mentions specific names, Boudi went on to state 'what we’re asking is that the prosecution investigates not only these people but whoever it feels necessary'.
If the likes of Musk and Rowling lose the case to Khelif they could face time behind bars. While cyber-bullying offenses in France also carry hefty fines.
UNILAD has reached out to Elon Musk and JK Rowling's representatives for comment.