25-year-old Cindy Ngamba made history earlier this year by becoming the first boxer ever to be included in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) refugee team.
Her passion for boxing was sparked a decade ago. Ngamba recalls, “As I entered the room, I saw lots of boys in there sweaty, I think smoke, flames (steam from their workouts) just hit me in the face. You know, all I could hear were people punching a bag, in a boxing ring, punching each other, shadowboxing, skipping and them making, you know, weird sounds as they’re punching each other, punching a bag. So… and I fell in love with it, you know, I fell in love with the sport. And that was when I knew, you know, I’m interested in this.”
Though football dominated her native Cameroon, Ngamba’s heart was captured by boxing. “When I first started boxing, the main one that I always looked at, watched, was Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali. They were like, you know, they’re like the role model of every, the idol of every boxer out there, whether the new generation or the old generation,” she explains.
As her career progressed, Ngamba found inspiration in other notable figures like Savannah Marshall, Natasha Jonas, Chantelle Cameron, Lauren Price, and Karriss Artingstall. “There are many, many, boxers out there in the whole wide world, female-wise and, you know, in the amateur,” she says.
Ngamba’s journey to success has not been without its challenges. She emigrated to the UK at about age 10 and faced a severe setback five years ago when she and her brother Kennet were arrested and sent to a detention camp in London. Ngamba’s sexuality made a return to Cameroon a dangerous proposition, given the country’s severe penalties for homosexuality. She was ultimately granted refugee status in 2020, allowing her to pursue her Olympic dreams.
Reflecting on this period, Ngamba says, “Being in that situation… you either sink or you stand up tall and strong. So I chose to stand up tall and strong. If I can go through that moment in life and I stay strong no matter what comes in my life, I’m always going to be able to lift myself.”
Currently fighting for UK citizenship, Ngamba has also earned a degree in criminology from University and now sets her sights on Paris 2024. “The goal for the Olympics is to go for gold, come on!” she declares. “Everyone wants gold and that’s what you work for. I’m going to go out there and do my best and work hard. And just like every refugee athlete, we’re going to go out there and aim for the highest.”
Ngamba will join 36 other athletes on the IOC refugee team in Paris.