Cindy Ngamba Secures First-Ever Refugee Olympic Team Medal
The historic win by the boxer born in Cameroon is a symbol of hope and resilience for millions of displaced people worldwide.
Boxer Cindy Ngamba made history on Sunday by becoming the first athlete competing as a refugee to win an Olympic medal. Ngamba, born in Cameroon and raised in Bolton, U.K., carried the flag for the 37 athletes of the Refugee Olympic Team at the opening ceremony in Paris. The team represents more than 120 million people around the world.
Ngamba moved to the U.K. at age 10 and was granted refugee status in 2021 because she could have been imprisoned in Cameroon for being gay. However, she cannot compete for Team Great Britain due to not having a British passport. She clinched her victory at the Paris Games by unanimous decision, defeating French boxer Davina Michel in the quarter-finals of the women’s 75kg category. Both losing semi-finalists in Olympic boxing receive bronze, assuring Ngamba of a medal in Paris. Her next match is against Atheyna Bylon of Panama on Thursday.
In celebration of her win, Ngamba grabbed a board with the refugee team’s name written on it. “It means the world to me,” she said. “I am a human, just like everyone else on the refugee team and just like everyone else around the world. I want to change the color and make it a gold. To all refugees around the world, keep on believing. You can achieve whatever you set your mind to.”
Ngamba emphasized the importance of hard work and self-belief for refugees, adding, “Keep working hard, keep believing in yourself.”
The International Olympic Committee created the Refugee Olympic Team to allow displaced and migrant athletes to participate in the Olympic Games without the help of national federations. The IOC president Thomas Bach said at the launch of the Refugee Olympic Team ahead of the Rio Games in 2016: “This will be a symbol of hope for all refugees in the world, and will make the world better aware of the magnitude of this crisis. It is also a signal to the international community that refugees are our fellow human beings and are an enrichment to society.”
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