An emotional Imane Khelif has criticised Elon Musk for running a “vicious” campaign against her during this summer’s Olympic Games.
The Algerian boxer, who competed in the women’s welterweight class, won a gold medal in Paris despite the heated controversy surrounding her gender that dominated headlines during the Games.
Khelif was cleared to compete in the Olympics just a year after she was kicked out of the World Boxing Championships after allegedly failing a test that revealed she has male ‘XY’ chromosomes, a decision that sparked outrage around the world.
However, the International Boxing Association, the organization that organizes the world championships, has never provided scientific evidence to support its claims.
Despite being born female, Khelif became the target of unsubstantiated accusations and abuse during the Olympics, with Musk even joining the group at one point.
An emotional Imane Khelif (left) has criticised Elon Musk for running a “vicious” campaign against her during this summer’s Olympic Games.
The X billionaire, who is reportedly named alongside Donald Trump in a cyberbullying lawsuit filed by Khelif, cited a post on his own platform calling for men to be banned from women’s sports following her round of 16 victory over Italy’s Angela Carini.
In an interview on a French TV program CLIQUEKhelif had to hold back tears after being asked why Musk’s post about her on X provoked new insults.
“Elon Musk was one of the first to attack me during this hate campaign,” she said. “He posted this video and it got retweeted. So he was one of the first to spread this buzz, this campaign against me.
“I would say… you hate me, but you don’t even know me. I don’t even know why you led this attack. You’ve been cruel to me, cruel to my family, cruel to my mother.
‘At that time my mother went to the hospital every day.’
Khelif paused to wipe away tears before adding: ‘So I don’t understand the behavior of people today. God is my guide, I am a practicing Muslim woman. I am an Arab Muslim woman and I have come through this moment.
Musk agreed with a post from Riley Gaines calling for men to be banned from women’s sports following Khelif’s victory over Italy’s Angela Carini
Khelif fought back tears after opening up about the abuse she endured last summer
The Algerian boxer won gold despite being at the center of intense controversy over her gender
‘I hope that in the future I will be even stronger and come back even more motivated.’
Another high-profile figure who claimed that Khelif is a man was Donald Trump, who also faced criticism from the Olympic champion last month.
She has since filed a lawsuit in France for cyberbullying, reportedly naming JK Rowling, Musk and Trump, the latter of whom she did not spare from her anger in an interview in Algeria with El Birad.
“Right after that there was a lot of noise from politicians, athletes, stars, artists – Elon Musk and Donald Trump – and it hurt me a lot. I can’t describe how scared I was,” the 25-year-old said.
“This touched me. I’m not lying to you, it touched me deeply. It hurt a lot. I can’t describe the fear I had, but thank God I was able to overcome it. Thank God all the people in Algeria and the Arab world knew Imane Khelif with her femininity, her courage, her will.”