The 25-year-old was the first boxer to qualify for the Refugee Olympic Teamand now she is on the verge of winning gold, silver or bronze later this week, after her match against France’s Davina Michel in the under 75kg category.
“I want to say to refugees all over the world, (including) refugees who are not athletes all over the world: keep working, keep believing in yourself, you can achieve anything you put your mind to,” said Ms Ngamba fled Cameroon as a child and ended up in the UK, where she spoke no English and was bullied.
Now she can win at least a bronze medal on the Olympic podium, after her scheduled match on Thursday against Atheyna Bylon of Panama. The winner will advance to the final for gold or silver.
Message of hope
Ms Ngamba’s mother, aunt and some of her siblings live in Paris, which makes her Olympic dream even more special, she said.
“It means the world to me to be the first refugee athlete ever to win a medal,” Ms Ngamba said after Sunday’s victory. “I hope I can change the (colour of) the medal at my next fight. In fact, I will change it.”
Whatever the outcome and whatever the final color of her medal, her historic achievement has already sent a powerful message of hope to some 120 million people forcibly displaced worldwide.
Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UN refugee agencycongratulated him immediately after Sunday’s match “for reaching the semi-finals of boxing in Paris 2024 and securing a medal – the first-ever medal for the refugee team at the Olympic Games”.
“You make us all very, very proud!” said Mr. Grandi.
Largest Olympic Refugee Team
Ms Ngamba is one of 37 athletes taking part in the Paris largest refugee team evercreated by the IOC to give displaced athletes the opportunity to perform at the highest level.
She was also one of the flag bearers at the opening ceremonytogether with Yahya Al-Ghotany, a taekwondo athlete living in the Azraq refugee camp in Jordan.
The very first refugee team history written at the 2016 Rio Olympics, followed by a 29-member team competing at Tokyo 2020.
Sparring with the boys
Ms Ngamba said she faced bullying and isolation at school as a child in the UK until she discovered boxing by chance at her local youth club in the northern town of Bolton, near Manchester.
At first, there were no other girls to train with and she had to spar with boys. But she soon began traveling for fights and won the first of three national championships in 2019.
She trained for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, with support from the Olympic Refuge Foundation through the Refugee Athletes Scholarship Program, which is funded by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
‘A huge moment’
Jojo Ferris, head of the Olympic Refuge Foundation, said Ms Ngamba’s victory was a powerful statement.
“Cindy reminds us what refugees can and do achieve, how they thrive when given the opportunity and the positive contributions they make to communities around the world,” he said.
“This is a huge moment for Cindy, the IOC Refugee Olympic Team and 120 million people around the world who have been forced to flee their homes.”
