Dr. Tammy Rae Matthews
Assistant Professor of Digital Journalism and Sports Journalism in the Jandoli School of Communication at St. Bonaventure University. Her research interests focus on power structures in international and domestic constructions of sport, media and gender. She studies oral histories of international and LGBTQI+ athletes as well as historical and contemporary representations of transgender and queer athletes in media.
Email: trmatthews@sbu.edu
Cyberbullying ran rampant during the 2024 Paris Olympics. Many athletes faced appalling abuse online. Athletes, from gymnasts to break dancers, became subjects of merciless social media posts.
In February 2024, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) published a statement saying it has prioritized addressing online abuse, which undermines the mental and emotional well-being of athletes as well as poses risks to safety and careers. During Olympic Esports Week, the IOC tested a measure to use AI to identify and address online abuse proactively. Athletes with public-facing social media channels participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics were automatically enrolled in the measure, although they could opt out if desired.
Nonetheless, abuse ensued. On Aug. 1, 2024, Imane Khelif, a cisgender woman Algerian boxer, competed against Italian boxer Angela Carini. The bout concluded in 46 seconds after Carini forfeited. Subsequently, Khelif’s participation in the Games became a focal point on social media. That day, “biologically male” in quotation marks repeatedly headlined stories without concrete evidence or facts substantiating the flagrant claim.
Watching the consistent outcries, uneducated comments and insensate disparaging judgment calls about Khelif flood the internet felt painfully and horrifyingly overwhelming.
During an Aug. 3 briefing, the IOC unequivocally articulated its position, stating that it would not tolerate any form of slander against its athletes.
“Let’s be very clear here: We are talking about women’s boxing,” reportedly said the president of the committee, Thomas Bach. “We have two boxers who are born as a woman, who have been raised a woman, who have a passport as a woman, and who have competed for many years as women. And this is the clear definition of a woman.”
Khelif is a cisgender woman. Subsequently, media should follow the paramount and ethical tenets of self-determination. IBA claims that it conducted tests revealing that Khelif has XY chromosomes, but the organization has not shown proof. Previously, on June 23, 2023, Aljazeera reported that the IOC had formally expelled the IBA from its membership, citing the organization’s inability to implement necessary reforms related to corruption, governance, financial management and ethical standards.
Khelif does not identify as a transgender or intersex person, and the IOC does not recognize any previous testing done by the International Boxing Association (IBA) as accurate or reliable. An increase in gender self-determination creates spaces for gendered embodiments and expressions, as Stanley wrote, in all contexts, including the cultures established by sport.
Transgender and intersex individuals should have equal opportunities to participate in sports without discrimination. The 2024 LGBTQ Paris Olympic and Paralympic Guide asserts that gender discrimination faced by transgender athletes inevitably affects cisgender athletes, especially women and girls of color, and people with intersex conditions. A person could be one of three sexes: intersex, female or male. Despite the modern belief that intersex conditions are rare, intersex people are as common as redheads or green eyes, and they are even more common than identical twins.
In Khelif’s case, some media organizations used the word “h*rmaphr*dite,” which GLAAD clearly states that media should not use without consulting the person in question. Further, talking about someone’s genitalia on the internet is horribly invasive, even if trying to prove a person is cisgender.
A necessary note: Algeria criminalizes LGBTQ+ identities and imposes severe restrictions on gender-affirming care and the modification of gender identity on official documents. Therefore, making these accusations could put Khelif’s safety in jeopardy. As it happened, in the wake of these allegations, Algerian crowds responded with fervent support for Khelif.
On Aug. 9, 2024, Khelif secured the gold medal with a decisive victory in the women’s welterweight boxing division. Khelif’s performance was particularly notable for its tactical precision and resilience under pressure. This achievement elevated her status as a national hero in Algeria and garnered significant international attention for women’s boxing.
While watching social media flood with unresearched stories and uneducated comments about Khelif’s identity, I thought about libel and defamation. Libel is publishing written injurious statements that negatively impact a reputation. Defamation is communicating false statements, whether spoken (slander) or written (libel), that could harm an individual’s reputation.
As it happens, Khelif took legal action after she won her medal.
A statement sent to Variety reported that, on Aug. 13, The National Center for the Fight Against Online Hatred “contacted the OCLCH (Central Office for the Fight Against Crimes Against Humanity and Hate Crimes) to conduct an investigation into the counts of cyber harassment due to gender, public insult because of gender, public incitement to discrimination and public insult because of origin.”
Nabil Boudi, Khelif’s Paris-based attorney, said the lawsuit is against the French legal designation of X, indicating unidentified persons and allowing the prosecution to investigate anyone sharing defamatory messages under legal names or aliases. The cyberbullying complaint about gender-based harassment did name J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk. Boudi characterized the boxer’s experience as the subject of a “misogynistic, racist, and sexist campaign.”
Not only does cyberbullying threaten athletes’ mental and physical health, but now cyberbullying has legal ramifications. Many people posted apologies or retractions based on their initial reactions to the stories about Khelif.
Before engaging in conversations about controversial sports topics, please avoid relying on flagrant news and memes. Please remember media literacy. Research. Please talk to people who have been in the situation rather than listen to people who are mindlessly disparaging and have little knowledge about the topics. Please don’t haphazardly comment if you don’t know the whole story.
