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Boxer Cindy Ngamba became the first ever athlete to win a medal for the IOC Refugee Olympic Team, winning bronze in the women’s boxing 75kg class after a semi-final loss to Panama’s Atheyna Bylon at Paris 2024.
The 25-year-old lost a split-decision verdict in the middleweight semi-final on Thursday.
Born in Cameroon, Ngamba moved to the UK aged 10, but cannot compete for Team GB because she is resolving her citizenship. She is the first female boxer to represent the Refugee Olympic Team at a Game.
“It means the world to me to be the first ever refugee to win a medal. I’m just a human, just like any other refugee and athlete all around the world”, she said.
Ngamba learnt boxing and studied in Bolton. She trained with the Great Britain boxing team, but has been a refugee. She was once sent to a detention camp, and was on the verge of deportation. Now, she is an Olympic medalist, a testament to her resilience and grit.
A Refugee Athlete Scholarship, Ngamba was selected as the female flag bearer for the team at the Opening Ceremony on the River Seine.
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