Gender identity and sport: debates on X regarding Imane Khelif’s participation in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
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Purpose: This study analyses the polarisation of public discourse on the social network X (formerly Twitter) surrounding Algerian boxer Imane Khelif's participation in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The aim is to examine how different positions on gender identity, fairness and legitimacy in elite sport are constructed, disseminated and contested. Methodology: A total of 35,676 posts from 25,984 unique users were collected and analysed using the professional tool Tweet Binder during the period 27 July to 10 August 2024. Automated sentiment analysis based on natural language processing (NLP) was applied, classifying posts into four categories (positive, negative, neutral and undefined), supplemented by temporal, linguistic and key-actor analysis. Results: Significant polarisation was identified. Although positive posts outnumbered negative ones (18% versus 17%), critical publications generated twice as many impressions (194.8 million versus 93.3 million). Public figures such as Elon Musk and J.K. Rowling amplified the controversy with posts exceeding 670 million combined views. Activity peaks coincided with key events such as Angela Carini's withdrawal. Conclusions: Social media platforms function as spaces of symbolic confrontation where emotionally negative content achieves greater reach. Misinformation about the athlete's medical condition fuelled reductionist narratives. Digital discourse may influence future sports regulations on inclusion and fairness.
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