NXT Elon Musk teams up with JK Rowling to criticise Imane Khelif after cos believes 2028 Olympics in LA banned Imane Khelif: “Transgender people need to be banned from women’s sports because it’s unfair to real women.

In recent weeks, the intersection of elite sport, gender identity and social media commentary has erupted into a fresh global flashpoint. At the centre of the storm is Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, the gold-medallist at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the women’s 66 kg boxing division, whose victory and background have triggered a fierce public debate. Two of the most prominent voices in this discussion: tech magnate and social-media owner Elon Musk and bestselling author J.K. Rowling — both of whom have publicly criticised Khelif’s participation in women’s sport, raising the broader question: should transgender or gender-questioning athletes be banned from women’s competitions because of “unfairness to real women”?

Khelif’s gold medal at the 2024 Games came amid heavy scrutiny. She defeated Italy’s Angela Carini in the round of sixteen in just 46 seconds, a result that immediately sparked debate about her physical strength, gender eligibility and the broader fairness of women’s boxing.

In March 2023, Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting were disqualified from the Women’s World Boxing Championships by the International Boxing Association (IBA) after what the IBA claimed were gender-eligibility test failures. But ahead of the Paris Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) declared that both athletes were eligible: “born female, raised as a woman, competing as a woman, female passport,” the IOC statement read.

However, despite that ruling, a campaign of social-media and press accusation followed Khelif, including false rumours that she identified as transgender or had a male chromosome (XY). A July 2024 investigation by French media described how she had become the target of a disinformation campaign. 

Into that vortex stepped J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk, both of whom amplified the controversy. The Guardian reported that Khelif’s August 2024 cyber-bullying legal complaint in France named Rowling and Musk among the high-profile figures whose comments allegedly fuelled the harassment.

Rowling posted a photo on X (formerly Twitter) of Khelif’s match and accused Khelif of being “a male punching a female” — “The idea that those objecting to a male punching a female in the name of sport are objecting because they believe Khelif to be ‘trans’ is a joke,” Rowling wrote. Musk reposted a statement from U.S. collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines saying “Men don’t belong in women’s sports,” adding simply: “Absolutely.”

Their intervention solidified the narrative that this was not merely a specific sports dispute but a cultural battleground over the inclusion of transgender individuals in women’s sport. Rowling and Musk, both outspoken in recent years on gender-identity issues, lent their enormous platforms to the message: that allowing (what they perceive as) transgender or gender-non-conforming athletes in female divisions is unfair to cisgender women.

At the heart of the issue lies a series of claims: that Khelif was banned (or should be banned) from women’s competitions because she purportedly is transgender or biologically male; that her continued participation damages the fairness and integrity of women’s sport; and that influential figures like Musk and Rowling were justified in speaking out.

First: was Khelif banned? In fact, despite the IBA’s 2023 disqualification, the IOC cleared her for the 2024 Games; there is currently no credible source that she is barred from the upcoming 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Indeed, she has publicly affirmed her intention to defend her title in 2028.

Second: is she transgender or biologically male? The available public information states she was born female, has a female passport and has competed in women’s boxing for years. The IOC reaffirmed her eligibility accordingly.  The IBA’s allegations of XY chromosome test failure have not been publicly verified, and the athlete and her national federation deny the claims.

Third: are Musk and Rowling’s comments responsible or justified? That depends on perspective. Supporters of their stance argue that female athletes deserve a protected category, that physiological advantages matter and that the fairness of women’s sport is at risk. Critics say those comments fuel harassment, mis-gendering and cyberbullying of an athlete who has been cleared by the IOC. Indeed, Khelif filed a legal complaint for aggravated cyber-harassment naming Musk and Rowling.

The Khelif case serves as a lightning-rod for multiple tensions:

• Sporting fairness vs. inclusivity: The debate between protecting women’s sport from potential unfair advantages and promoting inclusion of those whose gender identity or physiology differ from the traditional binary.
• Media, social media and modern vilification: Once Khelif’s match finished so quickly, the swirl of speculation went online within hours, and high-profile influencers shaped the narrative. The IOC described the backlash as part of a “politically motivated … culture war”. 
• Governance and credibility: The IBA disqualified Khelif in 2023 without full transparency; the IOC then cleared her, raising questions about regulatory consistency and fairness in gender eligibility rules.
• Reputational and personal impact: Khelif said of the on-line harassment: “It can destroy people, it can kill people’s thoughts, spirit and mind.”

While claims that the 2028 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles will ban Khelif (or transgender athletes generally) appear unsubstantiated, the broader battle over transgender inclusion in women’s sport continues to gather pace. In the U.S., for example, school-sports funding and federal policies have aligned with calls to exclude athletes assigned male at birth from female divisions.

If Khelif does indeed step into the ring again in 2028, she will do so under a heightened global spotlight. The question remains: will sport’s governing bodies implement new, stricter sex-eligibility criteria? Will public platforms such as X see still more influential figures weigh in? And will female athletes feel their category is being protected — or under threat?

The high-profile involvement of Elon Musk and J.K. Rowling in the Imane Khelif controversy underscores that this story is about more than boxing. It is about how society defines womanhood, how sport defines fairness and how public discourse is shaped by voices with millions of followers.

Their criticism — “Transgender people need to be banned from women’s sports because it’s unfair to real women,” as one post put it — reflects one side of a contentious debate. But athletes like Khelif, cleared by the IOC yet attacked in social media storm, raise another: the human cost of being caught in a culture war.

In the end, the question remains: can sport maintain fairness, respect gender identity and shield its competitors from harm? How that balance is struck will shape the future of women’s sport — and, perhaps, the reputations of those who choose to speak loudly on it