PARIS: Cindy Ngamba couldn’t lose. Not today. Not in the first fight of the 75kg event at the North Arena in Paris. She fought when she moved to the United Kingdom from Cameroon seeking a better life. She fought with her destiny when she was sent to the detention camp over paperwork issues and deportation looked an inevitability. She fought as an independent refugee athlete for a place in the Olympics and qualified - the first one to do so while practicing alongside Great Britain Boxing.
Cindy’s story is one of triumph over poignancy and hardship. A story of resilience and hope - an emotional roller coaster ride. Like she would say, “I have seen hardship live.” Pain in the ring acts like a balm, boxing liberates her and gives her identity. Since Cindy doesn’t have a British passport, she represented the Olympic Refugee team and was chosen as the flag-bearer. Every Olympic step had been a wild dream.
When Cindy faced former world champion, Tammara Thibeault of Canada, she had to fight another big battle to win. Tammara was a 2022 world champion and has experienced this stage before. This fight was a symbol of inclusivity and tenacity for millions of refugees around the world. “We are humans after all. We have emotions and just like others we feel,” she said after the close bout she won 3-2. She is in the same weight category as Lovlina Borgohain who won her match on Wednesday but in the opposite bracket.
Cindy’s story has turned into folklore. Her struggle resonated through the boxing hall, and every point she secured was cheered by the packed arena. When the referee raised her hand, that moment froze into a beautiful image of hope.
If two years ago someone had told Cindy that she would be at the Olympics, she would not have believed it. Yet here she was. As soon as she stepped into the Village, the enormity of the occasion motivated her and started pushing her more.
“Being here means the world to me,” she said in the mixed zone. “It means the world to all the people around the world, to the millions of refugees, not just athletes but all the refugees who are going through so many obstacles. They should feel that if I was able to overcome so many struggles, they too can.”
“The refugee team had believed in me that I would be the first player to make out there (qualify). There is pressure but one must understand that I am human at the end of the day. I have emotions and I am not going to hide that. I will not let pressure pull me down.
“I have gone through so many obstacles in life like many of the refugees across the world and all the 36 athletes competing here. I will not let pressure get the better of me. I work hard and believe in myself. I visualise any situation that can happen in the ring, in the warm up area, in the Games Village. And I am prepared for it. Because I have seen hardships live. I have gone through so many issues in life. I have learned that one must keep smiling. I am just one of millions of refugees around the world and one of a billion human beings. I take motivation from this and will take anything that comes my way, and will focus on the next challenge.”
Cindy could not stay in Cameroon because of her sexual orientation.
After taking boxing at the age of 15, she had to go to a local gym where she was being bullied for her accent. Now she is fighting to get British citizenship, with an attempt being rejected by the British Home Office recently. Her dad and her siblings are British citizens and she hopes to be one soon. But that's a fight for another day. For now, there is the Olympics.