French prosecutors said on Wednesday that a probe had been launched following a complaint by Algerian Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif, who was at the centre of a gender controversy at the Paris Olympic Games.
The investigation was opened Tuesday into “cyberharrassment” following the high-profile gender row at the Games, the Paris public prosecutor’s office told AFP.
Khelif came home to a hero’s welcome on Monday after winning gold at the Olympics. She claimed a unanimous-decision win over China’s Yang Liu in the women’s 66kg final.
Addressing the crowd that cheered with chants of “Tahia Imane” (long live Imane), the boxer said: . “I wanted to show the strength of performance and the presence of women in general, and Algerian women in particular.”
The International Olympic Committee took over the boxing competition in Paris after losing patience with the International Boxing Association (IBA).
The IBA, led by Umar Kremlev, retaliated during the Games by saying it had disqualified Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting from its world championships last year because its tests showed “these are men”. The IBA had allowed both boxers to compete in Tokyo three years ago.
Khelif, 25, addressed what she called a “relentless campaign” on Monday.
She said she wanted “to thank the Algerian people who supported me in this ordeal and gave me strength”.
“Algerian women are an example and a model for the whole world,” the boxer said. “Thanks to God, we have restored Algeria’s honour and flown the Algerian flag in Paris, which is the most important thing.”