Refugee Olympic Team’s boxer Cindy Ngamba clinches medal

"Sports teach you about life."

Cindy Ngamba, a 26-year-old boxer from the Refugee Olympic Team, expressed this sentiment to the French newspaper Le Monde after winning her women's 75-kg quarterfinal match at the North Paris Arena on Sunday (local time). Ngamba secured a unanimous 5-0 decision against France’s Davina Michel, advancing to the semifinals and ensuring herself a bronze medal. In Olympic boxing, semifinal losers are automatically awarded bronze medals.

Born in Cameroon, Ngamba was sent to a refugee facility after losing her immigration documents while trying to move to the U.K. at around age 11. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, she cannot return to Cameroon, where homosexuality is illegal. Despite spending 15 years in the U.K., she is still striving to obtain a visa and British citizenship.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) formed the Refugee Olympic Team in 2016 to allow athletes who had to leave their home countries due to conflict, war, and discrimination to compete on the Olympic stage. This year, 37 athletes are participating in 12 events. Ahead of the Paris Olympics, the British Boxing Association sought citizenship for Ngamba to allow her to compete as a British athlete but was unsuccessful. Consequently, Ngamba competed as the first female boxer from the IOC Refugee Team and secured a bronze medal.


Eun-A Cho achim@donga.com