J.K. Rowling: 'I say we give Lance Armstrong his medals back'

Valentina Petrillo
Had enough
The flood gates
Don't bully athletes
Trading punches
Starting the process
Looking into the matter
Casting a wide net
Musk’s mistake?
Joke is on J.K.?
Another big fish
Khelif in the spotlight
Carini bows out
A failed test
Critical context
Parental protection
A long journey
Carini walks it back
Discipline
Golden glove
Valentina Petrillo

J.K. Rowling does not tend to hide her opinions. This summer, her ire was directed at Italian Paralympic athlete Valentina Petrillo.

Had enough

According to the Daily Mail, Petrillo was born as a biological male but identifies as female. Petrillo competed in the 400 meter track and field race in the 2024 Paralympics, which Rowling had an issue with. Rowling posted, "Out and proud cheats like Petrillo prove the era of cheat-shaming is over. What a role model!"

The flood gates

Continuing the rant, Rowling would go on to say, "I say we give Lance Armstrong back his medals and move on."

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Don't bully athletes

Rowling also had strong words for Algerian boxer Imane Khelif during the 2024 Paris Olympics. Khelif has pleaded with the public not to "bully" athletes after facing huge backlash for allegedly being a transgender woman.

"It can destroy people"

According to the Metro, Khelif said: "It can destroy people. It can kill people's spirits, thoughts, and minds and it can divide people. Because of that, I ask them to refrain from bullying."

Trading punches

The comments came after Khelif had not taken kindly to digital warfare that has questioned her gender and Olympic accomplishments. She's taken legal action against powerful individuals like Rowling and Elon Musk in order to put a stop to the harassment she has received online.

Starting the process

Variety confirmed via Khelif's attorney that the Olympic champion submitted a criminal complaint to the Paris Prosecutor's Office. The complaint allegedly accuses individuals of "acts of aggravated cyber harassment".

Looking into the matter

The Central Office for the Fight Against Crimes Against Humanity and Hate Crimes confirmed they are investigating the counts due to "gender, public insult because of gender, public incitement to discrimination and public insult because of origin".

 

Casting a wide net

Nabil Boudi is Imane Khelif's lawyer, and is giving the French authorities a lot of latitude when it comes to investigating those who went after Khelif on gender grounds during the Olympics. According to Variety, this also allows French authorities to investigate burner accounts that may have slandered Khelif.

Musk’s mistake?

Elon Musk shared a post and responded to a post from swimmer Riley Gaines, where the latter said, "men don't belong in women's sports." The CEO of X replied, "absolutely".

Joke is on J.K.?

Rowling posted that Khelif was a man "enjoying the distress of a woman he's just punched in the head".

Another big fish

American presidential candidate Donald Trump is also caught up in the firestorm. He posted a message saying, "I will keep men out of women's sports!"

Khelif in the spotlight

These messages all stem from one of Imane Khelif's Olympic fights, where she squared off against Italy's Angela Carini.

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Carini bows out

Carini withdrew from the bout just 46 seconds in, saying that the fight was "unjust", according to The New York Post and other outlets.

A failed test

There was speculation about Khelif's gender identity, as she was disqualified by the International Boxing Association in 2023 after it was believed she had XY chromosomes and heightened testosterone levels.

Critical context

According to People's website, Khelif was born as a female and does not identify as transgender. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) believed that Khelif was legitimately allowed to compete as a female without issue, and she qualified for the Olympics via the normal path.

Parental protection

Omar Khelif, Imane's father, told Sky News, "I raised her to be hard-working and brave. She has a strong will to work and to train. The Italian opponent she faced was unable to defeat my daughter because my daughter was stronger and she was softer."

A long journey

Omar Khelif told USA Today that Imane "is a little girl that has loved sport since she was six years old."

Carini walks it back

Carini told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, "All this controversy makes me sad. I'm sorry for my opponent too. If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision."

Discipline

The BBC's website believes that it may be difficult for French authorities to take action against Musk, Rowling, Trump, or anyone who made comments about Khelif outside of French borders. However, it seems possible that anyone who said inaccurate or slanderous things about Khelif while in France could face a punishment.

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Golden glove

Despite the deluge of attention she received throughout the Olympics, Khelif was able to win the gold medal after defeating China's Yang Liu.

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