JK Rowling draws flak for misgendering Algerian boxer Imane Khelif at controversial Paris Olympics match

PARIS, FRANCE: JK Rowling has been at the center of a controversy after a recent Olympic boxing match has ignited a heated debate.

The dispute began when the author of the 'Harry Potter' series labeled Algerian boxer Imane Khelif a man, following her match against Italian boxer Angela Carini.

The match which ended after just 46 seconds saw Carini break down and abandon the fight.

What was the boxing controversy at Paris Olympics?

Imane Khelif's participation in the Olympics has been controversial due to her disqualification from the women's world championship in 2023 for failing testosterone and gender eligibility tests.

This has led to discussions about the fairness of allowing athletes with Differences of Sexual Development (DSD) to compete in women's events.

DSD athletes, some of who are raised females but have XY chromosomes and higher testosterone levels, are currently permitted to compete in women's competitions at the Olympics.

Angela Carini's response to Olympic boxing match

Speaking to reporters following the match, Angela Carini said, “I was told a lot of times that I was a warrior but I preferred to stop for my health. I have never felt a punch like this."

“I wish her to carry on until the end and that she can be happy… I am not here to judge or pass judgment. If an athlete is this way, and in that sense it’s not right or it is right, it’s not up to me to decide," Carini said of Khelif despite the controversy, reported The Hollywood Reporter.

JK Rowling's reactions to boxing controversy

JK Rowling, a vocal critic of certain aspects of the transgender movement weighed in on the boxing controversy on social media.

“Could any picture sum up our new men’s rights movement better?" the author captioned an image of Khelif smiling at Carini after the match.

"The smirk of a male who knows he’s protected by a misogynist sporting establishment enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head, and whose life’s ambition he’s just shattered," she added.

Slamming the International Olympic Committee (IOC) by saying its safeguarding is “a joke”, a separate post by Rowling read, "A young female boxer has just had everything she’s worked and trained for snatched away because you allowed a male to get in the ring with her.”

International Olympic Committee's response to boxing controversy

Addressing the fallout, IOC’s spokesman Mark Adams said, “I repeat that all the competitors comply with the eligibility rules."

“But what I would say is that this involves real people. And, by the way, this is not a transgender issue. I should make this absolutely clear," he said on Thursday, August 1.

Speaking to Italian media, far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said, “It matters to be able to compete on equal grounds, and from my point of view it was not an even contest.”

Internet doubles down on JK Rowling for misgendering Imane Khelif

After JK Rowling mislabeled female boxer Imane Khelif following the boxing controversy, netizens doubled down on the renowned author's criticism.

"Stop spreading false information to stir up hatred, if you want to write fiction do another book on wizards," a user on X (formerly Twitter) wrote.

Another tweet read, "These are two biological females."

"I was waiting for her to weigh in. Neither of these women are trans. They are women who were born with elevated testosterone. But JK doesn't actually care about women. She cares about eradicating every single person who doesn't fit her specific view of sex and gender," a netizen commented.

"These are not “males” boxing in the Olympics. They are cisgender women. They were born women. They have elevated testosterone levels and some XY chromosomes because of intersex traits. Cisgender women with XY chromosomes have given birth before. This moral panic is dumb," opined an individual.

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