A high-ranking International Olympic Committee (IOC) official has lodged a formal complaint regarding cyber harassment tied to the dispute about the gender of Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, according to a Paris law enforcement source and the Paris Prosecutor's Office on Wednesday.
Kirsty Burrows, a British IOC executive, filed a complaint on Sunday. She had received hateful messages following her press conference defending Khelif, an Algerian boxer targeted by a transphobic online hate campaign, the Prosecutor's Office clarified.
The same source confirmed that on Monday, the Paris Prosecutor's National Pole for Combating Online Hatred tasked its investigative department, the Brigade for the Suppression of Crimes Against the Person, with looking into offences involving death threats, public incitement to commit attacks against people and cyber harassment.
'Threatening and offensive messages'
Burrows' complaint reportedly alleges receiving "several threatening and offensive messages" from social media sites X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, according to the police source.
At an IOC press conference on 1 August, Burrows detailed her responsibilities as head of an IOC division committed to safe sports practice.
"When we discuss safe sport, we are talking about a physically and psychologically safe athletic environment," she explained, praising what she described as the "most comprehensive" programme of this kind developed for the Paris Olympics.
Burrows' statements, reiterated on X by the Olympic Committee news account, sparked a torrent of criticism.
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Critics argued that by allowing Khelif to fight and reach the finals of the under-66 kg women's boxing tournament, the IOC failed to safeguard the health of her first-round opponent, Italian boxer Angela Carini, who withdrew in the opening seconds of their bout.
However, the IOC believes that Khelif's eligibility is unquestionable. Several organisations criticised what they dismissed as a "bogus debate" led by conservative circles, when interviewed by AFP.
