On the boxer Imane Khelif «a very specific narrative had already been developed several hours before the match, present above all in communities linked to the pro-Russian far right. The monitoring by IDMO has highlighted how a a hate campaign against her, repeatedly defined as ‘transgender’ when in fact it is not so». This was stated in an interview with QN by Gennaro Tortorelli, journalist and researcher at the Italian Digital Media Observatory (IDMO), who explains why the ‘Khelif case’ was destined to explode and how inaccurate information played into the hands of those who organized it.
The aim of this campaign, according to the researcher, is “to paint the West as degenerate and corrupt, contrasting it with more conservative and identity-based values, typical of the far right and some dictatorships – continues Tortorelli -. If this campaign has been so successful, however, it is also due to the inaccuracy of some media, which have supported the theory according to which Imane is transgender”. There is talk of Russia’s involvement. The president of the IBA is close to Putin. “We do not yet have clear evidence in this sense. Of course, it should be remembered that the International Boxing Association is no longer recognized by the IOC due to corruption, refereeing scandals and its closeness to the Kremlin – says Tortorelli -. The only medical test that disqualified the Algerian was carried out by them, with procedures that have never been clarified. And we also know that the rhetoric against the so-called woke ideology and the so-called political correctness can be very powerful weapons for Russian disinformation”.