France has started an investigation into cyberbullying claims made by Algerian Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif. Khelif, who faced a gender controversy at the Paris Olympics, filed a complaint for online harassment, calling it a “fight for justice.”

The Paris public prosecutor’s office said the probe into “cyberharassment” began on Tuesday. Nabil Boudi, Khelif’s lawyer, stated last week, “The investigation will determine who was behind this misogynist, racist, and sexist campaign, but will also have to concern itself with those who fed the online lynching.”

The Central Office for Combating Crimes against Humanity and Hate Crimes is leading the investigation.

According to US magazine *Variety*, billionaire Elon Musk and author JK Rowling have been named in the complaint, along with former US President Donald Trump.

Khelif, 25, won the women’s 66kg boxing final at the Paris Olympics against China’s Yang Liu. She was at the center of controversy due to gender eligibility issues. Despite being disqualified from last year’s world championships along with Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, they were cleared to compete in Paris.

The row intensified after Khelif won her bout against Italy’s Angela Carini in just 46 seconds. Trump commented on the situation, saying he would “keep men out of women’s sports,” and his running mate JD Vance called the bout “a grown man pummelling a woman in a boxing match.” Rowling criticized the Olympics on X, saying it would be “forever tarnished by the brutal injustice done to Carini.”

Umar Kremlev, president of the International Boxing Association, claimed that Khelif and Lin underwent “genetic testing” and were identified as men.

The IBA was responsible for the world championships in 2023 where Khelif and Lin were disqualified, but the IOC allowed them to compete in Paris.

Khelif defended herself, saying, “I was born a woman, lived a woman, and competed as a woman.” She added, “They hate me and I don’t know why.”

Khelif received a hero’s welcome at Algiers airport with chants of “Tahia Imane” (Long live Imane).

An editorial in the government daily *El Moudjahid* praised her victory as “a victory for the oppressed and the excluded.”

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said the organization would review the gender issue if presented with a “scientifically solid system” but rejected defamation campaigns by “not credible organisations with highly political interest.”