The Olympic boxing tournament provides not only scandalous information about refereeing and the admission of suspicious athletes, but also inspiring stories.
On August 4, 25-year-old Cameroonian boxer Cindy Ngamba defeated Frenchwoman Davina Michel by decision and became a semi-finalist in the up to 75 kg category. This means that she has already guaranteed herself a place on the podium. And the most important thing about all this is that Ngamba went down in history as the first athlete from the refugee Olympic team to win a medal.
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Ngamba moved from Cameroon to the UK to live with her uncle when she was 11 years old. Or rather, she was transported to another country. She had documents when Cindy first arrived, but they were lost, which was only discovered when it was time to go to university. Ngamba wanted to collect her passport to present it at an educational institution and discovered that the document was missing. Cindy mentioned that at some point she was left illegally in the UK, but due to her age she had no idea what was happening. At 21, the sportsman was on the verge of being deported from the country.
She arrived at the immigration office in Bolton, where she lives, and suddenly noticed that there were a lot of police officers nearby: “They told me I was arrested and I couldn’t believe it. My brother was also arrested and I burst into tears. They took us to a temporary detention camp and I spent the night there. Then I thought it was the end. I just felt sorry for myself and felt helpless. Fortunately, we were released two days later.”
Cindy Ngamba
Photo: Richard Pelham/Getty Images
They defended Cindy, as she was already performing at national boxing tournaments and did very well. Among amateurs, she won three national boxing tournaments in three (!) weight classes. No one has done this since Natasha Jonas, who is now shining as a professional and has become a champion in two weight classes. All this against a background of constant fear that Cindy will be expelled from the country.
Ngamba has repeatedly applied for citizenship and the National Boxing Federation is also applying for it, but without success. Even obtaining refugee status was very problematic for the girl, but she managed it: “To obtain refugee status, I had to go through a lot of difficulties related to immigration, with the Home Office. I was sent to detention camps and there were many cases where they tried to simply expel me from the UK and send me back to the country I left as a child.”
Ngamba trains with the best amateur boxers in Britain, but the boxing federation cannot support her financially. She has to rely on sponsors, and even this does not always help due to problems with documents. For example, at one point she was unable to go to a tournament in Miami.
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That’s why Ngamba feels she has to work harder than others: “Some people have it tough and have to work harder than others. I’m not saying that others have it easy and don’t work hard, but I feel like I’ve had to overcome a lot of obstacles in my life that make me who I am.”
Before the Paris Olympics, Sydney hoped to obtain citizenship and join the British national team, but to no avail. The boxer therefore represents the refugee team and is also its flag bearer. These teams have been competing in the Olympics since 2016 and to participate they must obtain confirmation of refugee status and show good sporting results. To come to Paris, Ngamba qualified through a qualifying tournament organised by the IOC and obtained a ticket.
Cindy Ngamba
Photo: Richard Pelham/Getty Images
On August 8, she will face Panama’s representative, Atheina Baylón, in the semi-finals. And Cindy does not intend to settle for just a bronze medal.
“A lot of people didn’t support me in the quarter-finals. But I listened to the team, the coaches and myself. I stuck to my tactics, stayed calm and collected. I’m glad I got through it. I hope I can do the same next time. No, I don’t expect it though. I can handle it,” Ngamba said after reaching the semi-finals.
Maybe Cindy’s story will shine with golden hues in a few days.
