Cindy Ngamba, from Cameroon and a refugee in London because of her homosexuality, qualified for the semi-finals of the under 75 kg boxing category. She made history by becoming the first medal-winning athlete on the refugee Olympic team.
“Winner!” When Cindy Ngamba’s mother chose to add this first name to her civil status, could she have imagined that her daughter would lead a life punctuated by struggles? This Sunday, the young woman, who was born 25 years ago in Douala, won one of the biggest fights of her life. Her quarter-final victory over France’s Davina Michel, by unanimous decision of the judges, secured her a medal and gave the Olympic refugee team a historic one.
Cindy is Cameroonian, but in the ring she wasn’t just fighting for her country; she was fighting for all the world’s refugees, for whom she was flag-bearer at the opening ceremony. As she pointed out:
« I dedicate this medal to God, the British boxing team, the refugee team and my family. ».
Cindy Ngamba
This medal, while we wait to find out its color, is full of symbolism for Gonzalo Barrio, manager of the Olympic refugee team.
« It’s the first medal for the Olympic refugee team. It’s historic! It’s really a historic moment for us. We also want to show that our athletes are of a very high standard and deserve to be here; they can win medals. They’re not just here to represent 120 million displaced people, but also to show that, given the opportunity, they can be great champions and reach the Holy Grail, which is to win an Olympic medal.»
Gonzalo Barrio
For Cindy Ngamba, whose mother lives in Paris, this medal is necessarily special, but there’s no doubt that it will also have resonance in Cameroon, where the pugilist can no longer set foot because of her homosexuality.
