Refugee Boxer Cindy Ngamba Makes Olympic History with Groundbreaking Win

There are 37 athletes making up the biggest Olympic Refugee Team since the idea was born ahead of the 2016 Rio Games.

PARIS, France — Boxer Cindy Ngamba made history on Sunday by becoming the first athlete competing as a refugee to clinch an Olympic medal. The 25-year-old originally from Cameroon offered hope for the Refugee Olympic Team, created to highlight the plight of refugees worldwide.

Ngamba’s victory at the Paris Games followed a fierce bout with French boxer Davina Michel in the women’s 75-kilogram quarterfinals. The fight took place in front of a passionate French crowd.

Ngamba, who screamed and pumped her fist when she won, secured at least a bronze medal by advancing to the semifinals. She will face Atheyna Bylon, who ensured Panama would earn its fourth-ever Olympic medal with her own win shortly after Ngamba’s fight.

“It means the world to me to be the first ever refugee to win a medal,” Ngamba told reporters. “I want to say to all the refugees around the world… keep on working hard, keep on believing in yourself.”

Ngamba served as a flag bearer for the 37 athletes making up the largest Refugee Olympic Team since its inception in 2016. The International Olympic Committee created the team so displaced athletes could participate in the Olympics without support from national federations.

Ngamba moved to the United Kingdom at 11 years old and was granted refugee status in 2021 because she faced imprisonment for being gay in Cameroon. Boxing became her escape and lifted her to the international stage.

She said she struggled initially when she moved to the U.K., transitioning from a bubbly child in Cameroon to an introvert as she learned English and adapted to her new home. She expressed that she found her place in boxing and within the refugee team.

“I had my family and my team by my side every day,” she noted. “The refugee team welcomed me with open arms.”

Ngamba, who defeated former world champion Tammara Thibeault of Canada in her first bout, entered Sunday’s match aggressively against Michel. The French crowd cheered loudly for Michel, but Ngamba noted she heard boos in North Paris Arena.

“I think I only listened to boos as I walked into the ring,” Ngamba said, adding that the spectators represented countless others who didn’t believe in her journey to this point.

While some athletes on the refugee team have previously won Olympic medals for their countries, Ngamba was seen as the team’s best chance at medaling in Paris.

The success of Ngamba and her teammates comes at a time of record migration, with 100 million people forcibly displaced worldwide. The Refugee Olympic Team has nearly quadrupled in size since its debut.

“The team is a symbol of inclusion, equality, and achievement for a large community of refugees and displaced people worldwide,” U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi told the AP last week.

Grandi congratulated Ngamba, writing on X: “You do us all very, very proud! And now onward to gold.”

The refugee team was among the first Olympic delegations to cruise along the Seine River during the opening ceremony last week.

Ngamba’s victory comes as women’s boxing faces intense scrutiny. Fighters Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan and Imane Khelif of Algeria endured online abuse, with false comments describing them as transgender or men. Both boxers won their matches as the IOC backed them and warned against turning the competition into a “witch hunt.”

Looking forward to her next match, Ngamba aims to send a continuous message of hope to refugees. While she has secured at least a bronze medal, she is determined to go for gold.

“Hopefully in the next round, I will get the job done — not hopefully. I will get it done,” she said with a smile.