On February 6, Facebook users spread information claiming that Elon Musk threatened to withdraw support for the World Boxing Organization’s programs unless Imane Khelif’s medal and $25 million bonus were revoked. A similar claim was posted in January by a Russian-speaking Facebook user.
The claim about Elon Musk demanding that Imane Khelif’s medal and monetary bonus be revoked is not true. No such statement by Musk can be found in any open sources, nor has it been released by the World Boxing Organization (WBO).
Imane Khelif is an Algerian professional boxer who won the gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Following her victory, fake claims circulated that she was a transgender woman. The allegation that Elon Musk threatened to withdraw support for WBO unless Khelif was stripped of her medal and $25 million bonus does not appear on his X page, was not reported by any credible media outlet and has not been stated by the WBO.
It should be noted that Khelif won an Olympic gold medal, which is unrelated to the WBO. Moreover, as noted by the US fact-checker PolitiFact, the World Boxing Organization manages professional boxing competitions. Khelif has mainly competed in amateur boxing, which is governed by another organization, the World Boxing Association. Furthermore, neither the International Olympic Committee nor the International Boxing Association awards prize money for winning Olympic medals.
After false reports about Imane Khelif went viral, the boxer filed a court complaint regarding cyberbullying. According to media reports, Elon Musk and J.K. Rowling were named in the complaint. However, the complaint concerned the statements made last year. Musk shared a post regarding Khelif on X on August 1, 2024, saying, “Men don’t belong in women’s sport.” The claim that Khelif is a transgender woman is not true. She is biologically female and has always competed in women’s boxing. There is no indication she identifies as transgender or intersex. It should be stressed that no transgender woman competed at the 2024 Olympics. Nevertheless, Imane Khelif has repeatedly been the target of disinformation.
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