OLYMPIC GAMES | BOXING
What did J.K. Rowling say about Algerian boxer Imane Khelif after Angelina Carini abandoned Olympic fight?
The Harry Potter author is an outspoken commentator on gender issues and made her feelings clear on the Paris 2024 controversy.
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif progressed from the first round of the women’s welterweight competition at the Olympic Games. Despite been born as a female Khelif possesses higher than usual testosterone levels, a consequence of a disorder of sex development (DSD).
Her first round opponent, Italy’s Angelina Carini, withdrew from the fight after just 46 seconds and later said that she felt unable to compete physically with Khelif. The Algerian’s presence at the Games has not been without controversy after she was disqualified from the World Championships last year, but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) adjudged that she should be allowed to compete in Paris.
However not everyone agreed. As the International Boxing Association (IBA) concluded in disqualifying her from the World Championships, some others have argued that her physical advantage is a danger to other competitors.
J. K. Rowling takes to social media to criticise Khelif
Author J. K. Rowling has been vocal on gender issues, notably arguing that trans women should not be treated as women in some circumstances. Khelif is not trans - she was born as a woman and has not undergone any gender surgery - but Rowling insisted on incorrectly labelling the boxer as a man.
Rowling sent a flurry of posts in the aftermath of Khelif’s win over Carini, including one that called the IOC “a disgrace” and insisted that the Paris 2024 Games would be “forever tarnished by the brutal injustice”. She described Khelif as a “bullying cheat” and sent seven posts in the hours after the bout.
At no point, however, did Rowling mention that Khelif was born as a female and has not undergone any transgender surgery. The question of Khelif’s eligibility is a difficult one, as evidenced by the fact that the IBA and the IOC each reached different conclusions.
However Rowling’s failure to acknowledge the complexity of the issue, and willingness to resort to name-calling, ignores those intricacies. The matter of athlete safety is a key one for organisers but that is also the job of the referee on the day, to ensure that any discrepancy in ability does not cause long-lasting damage. Regardless of the intentions of Rowling’s comments, she omits some important factual details from her online posts.