The farce that engulfed the Paris Olympics after a female boxer lost in 46 seconds to a “biological man” was anticipated nearly five years ago by the sitcom South Park, fans said.
The demolition of Italian Angela Carini by Algerian Imane Khelif has sparked fury after it emerged that Khelif had previously been banned from the competition for “having male sex chromosomes”.
In a 2019 episode called ‘Go Strong Woman, Go,’ a transgender athlete named ‘Heather Swanson’ knocks her female opponent around the ring leaving her bloodied and bruised before walking onto the podium with the trophy.
“I can’t tell you how free I feel now that I’ve started identifying as a woman,” she tells an interviewer as she adjusts her sunglasses. “Now that I can compete as a woman, I’m ready to crush the other girls!”
The 2019 South Park episode ‘Go Strong Woman, Go’ featured a muscular, bearded transgender athlete pummeling a female opponent around a boxing ring.
Italy’s Angela Carini lasted just 46 seconds in her Olympic bout against Algeria’s Imane Khelif, who had previously been banned from women’s boxing for having male chromosomes.
Carin, 25, threw her helmet to the ground and sobbed as the fight was abandoned, shouting “this is unfair” after just two devastating punches from her Algerian opponent in Thursday’s fight.
“I’m used to suffering,” she said afterwards. “I’ve never been hit like that before, it’s impossible to continue.”
The South Park episode opens with a vicious parody of biological women welcoming transgender competitors.
“It’s amazing. I feel honored to be a part of history,” says the reigning Strongwoman champion when asked about the competition’s first transgender competitor.
“I have a lot of amazing trans friends who are athletes and so we’re all inspired by the fact that this woman is competing,” she continues before a bearded, muscled Swanson enters the scene sporting a ten-gallon hat.
When asked if he transitioned just two weeks ago, the character tells the interviewer, “I’m not here to talk about my transition; I’m here to kick some fucking ass.”
“Let me tell you something, I’m gonna roll up the other women in here and smoke them. I’m the strongest woman this state has ever seen!”
Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s cartoon has long been hailed for its awareness of the country’s culture wars and its eerie premonition of how they might evolve.
The cartoon showed transgender athlete ‘Heather Swanson’ storming to victory against female opponents and boasting ‘I am the strongest woman this state has ever seen!’
Last year, Khelif was banned from the International Boxing Association (IBA) Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi after tests indicated she had XY chromosomes.
Carin, 25, threw her helmet to the ground and sobbed “this is unfair” as the clash was abandoned after just two devastating blows from her Algerian opponent.
Episodes have covered the legalization of recreational marijuana, the assassination of Osama bin Laden and even singer Ricky Martin coming out as gay.
But fans online have noted that events in Paris had a grim predictability.
“It’s crazy, but at the same time it’s not like South Park hit the nail on the head; this kind of thing was bound to happen,” wrote one.
“South Park is basically an animated docuseries at this point,” another said.
‘South Park had the vision to see the decline of the standard in our world years before its time,’ added a third.
Last year, Khelif was banned from the International Boxing Association (IBA) Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi after tests indicated she had “XY chromosomes” – an indication that a person is biologically male.
But the IOC, which sets entry guidelines for boxing at the Olympics, insisted that Khelif and another boxer, Taiwanese Lin Yu-Ting, who similarly previously failed a gender test, met “all eligibility and entry regulations.”
Khelif herself has told Algerian media that she has had elevated levels of the hormone testosterone since birth.
And Italian Carin is not the only boxer who has problems with the power of Khelif’s punches. After the Algerian’s disqualification for 2023, Mexican boxer Brianda Tamara recalled her experience fighting Khelif earlier in the tournament.
“When I fought with her I felt very out of place,” he wrote in X.
‘His punches hurt me a lot, I don’t think I’d ever felt that in my 13 years as a boxer, or in my sparring with men.
The episode also mercilessly parodies biological women who welcome their transgender rivals.
South Park Online has noted that events in Paris had a grim predictability.
‘Thank God I got out of the ring safe and sound that day, and thank goodness they finally realized it.’
In response to the controversy, the Algerian Olympic Committee (COA) condemned what it called “unfounded” attacks against Khelif.
“The COA strongly condemns the unethical attacks and defamation against our esteemed athlete, Imane Khelif, with unfounded propaganda by certain foreign media outlets,” they said.
‘These attacks on her character and dignity are deeply unfair, especially as she prepares for the pinnacle of her career at the Olympic Games.’