In the early morning of August 5, Beijing time, in the women's 75kg 1/4 final of the Paris Olympic boxing, 25-year-old refugee player Cindy Ngamba defeated the host France player Davina 5-0 and successfully advanced to the top 4!
This means that the Paris Olympics have made history by the fact that a refugee delegation has won a medal for the first time at the Olympics (in boxing, it is at least a bronze medal if they reach the semi-finals).
At Rio 2016, the refugee delegation consisted of 10 athletes; At Tokyo 2020, the refugee delegation consisted of 29 athletes. However, the first two refugee delegations failed to win an Olympic medal. At Paris 2024, the refugee delegation of 37 athletes competed, and 25-year-old Cindy Ngamba was the flag bearer for the opening ceremony.
After reaching the semi-finals, securing a medal and making history, 25-year-old Cindy Ngamba roared in celebration and pointed to the refugee delegation's emblem on her vest.
Why is Cindy Ngamba part of the refugee delegation?
Cindy Ngamba was born in Cameroon, Africa, in September 1998. At the age of 10, Cindy Ngamba moved to United Kingdom and lived in Bolton. For 15 years, Cindy had been hoping to obtain a United Kingdom passport, but without success. However, Cindy did not give up her efforts, worked in the United Kingdom to earn money to complete her studies, and graduated from the University of Bolton.
To make matters worse, Cindy Ngamba is afraid to return to her native Cameroon – she is gay. In Cameroon, homosexuality is illegal. Anyone who openly acts with homosexuality faces imprisonment ranging from six months to five years. Therefore, Cindy Ngamba did not dare to return to Cameroon, let alone represent Cameroon in the Olympics.
Living in United Kingdom, Cindy Ngamba is also terrified.
In 2019, Cindy Ngamba underwent a "resident check" and authorities decided to deport her after discovering that she did not have a passport but was still stranded in the United Kingdom. At that time, Cindy and her brother Kennett were both arrested, handcuffed, and sent to a detention center in London. Thanks to the efforts of many parties, the Cindy Ngamba siblings were released.
In 2021, Cindy Ngamba was granted refugee status. Ahead of the Paris Olympics, the United Kingdom boxing team applied to the relevant authorities to grant Cindy Ngamba the status of a United Kingdom citizen, but was refused. Cameroon does not, United Kingdom does not accept it, and Cindy Ngamba can only choose the refugee delegation to participate in the Paris Olympics.