Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, has been sued by Paris Olympic gold medal winner Imane Khelif. The Algerian athlete has filed a suit in Paris claiming what she referred to as “severe online harassment” which followed a disagreement over her gender qualifications.
Imane Khelif had her name mentioned throughout the current Olympics in 2024 because of an incident that began way back in 2023 when International Boxing Association (IBA) prevented both of them from competing at the World Boxing Championships following confirmation of XY chromosomes in their bodies. In his response, President Omar Kremlev said that later DNA tests showed the two athletes were XY and Khalif had above average levels of testosterone.
The 25-year-old athlete was born with Swyer syndrome – a condition characterized by having XY chromosomes — which is usually linked with males. Commentators have argued that although she possesses XY chromosomes genetically there is no biological advantage for males.
Khelif told Reuters when he filed his lawsuit: “Everything said about me on social media is immoral. I want to change people’s minds around the world.”
What is the controversy
Withdrawal of Angela Carlini, an Italian boxer, from the match against Imane Khelif during women’s boxing competition at Paris Olympics 2024. Carlini withdrew after receiving several blows and kicks. A video posted on social media showed Carini crying after losing a fight and refusing to shake hands with her opponent thereby fueling speculation surrounding this event.
In addition to other names listed in it like Elon Musk or J.K.Rowling, (Source) Variety magazine quoted Nabil Boudi, Khelif’s lawyer based in Paris saying Donald Trump will be part of this investigation. According to him, “Trump tweeted so whether or not he is named in our lawsuit he will inevitably be part of the prosecution,” .
Musk responded
Though nothing specific about this has been heard coming from Musk, he retweeted a post from American swimmer Riley Gaines that stated “men don’t belong in women’s sports #IStandWithAngelaCarini.”
“Absolutely,” he retweeted the post and wrote.
JK Rowling, the author of Harry Potter, included some screenshots. “Is there any image that better sums up our new men’s rights movement? The smirk of a man who knows he’s protected by a misogynistic sports establishment, enjoying the pain of a woman he just Hit on the head and her life ambitions were shattered by him #Paris2024” was how she captioned it.
In another such post she has said “Watch this (whole thread) and then explain why it is okay for you to have a man beat up a woman in public for entertainment purposes. This is not sport. Can we get real about red cheating all the way through to bullying cheaters and allowing what happened at this event? That guy is drunk with power over women.
What comes next
“It could be directed against people living outside France,” Budi said while explaining that even though the lawsuit has been filed in French court.
“What we are asking is that besides these people being investigated, anyone else whom they believe may be relevant should also be subjected to investigations. If they go to trial they will face charges.”
