Why This South Park Episode Is Viral Amid Gender Debate Over Imane Khelif's Win At Paris Olympics

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif beat Italy’s Angela Carini in just 46 seconds at the Paris Olympics. The Italian boxer refused to continue the fight after receiving a blow to her face. In the middle of the ring, Carini was seen down on her knees and sobbing.

Some fans found the incident at the Paris Olympics similar to a 2019 episode of South Park– ‘Go Strong Woman, Go’. In the animated show, a transgender boxer named Heather Swanson took part in the women’s event and thrashed the opponents. She celebrated her triumph emphatically while standing atop the podium.

“I can’t tell you how free I feel now that I’ve started identifying as a woman. Now that I can compete as a female, I’m ready to smash the other girls,” Heather Swanson told an interviewer ahead of the boxing match.

Following the Paris Olympics boxing match between Imane Khelif and Angela Carini, the South Park story went viral on social media. A person shared on X (formerly Twitter), “South Park becomes reality after biological male boxer Imane Khelif forces Italian female Angela Carini to quit in 46 seconds at the Olympics.”

The episode features a parody of biological women who decide to face transgender boxers in a competition. “I feel honoured to be a part of history. I have a lot of incredible trans friends who are athletes and so we are all inspired that this woman’s competing,” a character says ahead of her match against the bearded and heavily muscled Swanson.

“Let me tell you something, I’m going to roll up the other women here and I’m going to smoke them. I am the strongest woman this state has ever seen,” the trans woman says before wreaking havoc in the ring.

Angela Carini digested two devastating punches from Imane Khelif, reportedly breaking her nose. Carini threw her helmet with much frustration and said after the match, “I’m used to suffering. I’ve never taken a punch like that, it’s impossible to continue.”

The International Boxing Association (IBA) dropped Imane Khelif from the women’s boxing championships, which took place in New Delhi last year. She reportedly failed the gender eligibility test as XY chromosomes were found in her genes.

However, following alelgations of corruption, IBA was stripped of its status as the governing body for boxing by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The IOC allowed Khelif to compete in Paris. The governing body allows athletes with gender diversity to feature at the mega event. Khelif, however, has never identified herself as transgender or intersex and has previously lost on several occasions.