In December 2022, International Olympic Committee (IOC) It has been announced that 11 refugee athletes will receive scholarships to qualify for their respective host countries. 2024 Paris Olympics. One of the athletes in the program at the time was a boxer. Cindy Nambawe just made history.
of Refugee Athlete Olympic Team (EOR) Rio 2016 saw 10 athletes take part for the first time, while Tokyo 2020 saw 29 athletes take part, and that number is expected to rise in Paris, where Ngamba has qualified. Olympic qualifiers held in Busto Arsizio, Italy. She thus qualified for the competition and became the first refugee boxer to participate in the Olympics (there were two representatives in Tokyo, but by invitation only).
Ngamba qualified for the 2024 Paris Games with a knockout win over Kazakhstan's Valentina Harzova in the quarterfinals of the 75 kg weight class. “I want to thank God, the British boxing team, the refugee team. Without them, I wouldn't be anywhere,” she said. Olympic: “It's emotional. If it wasn't for the refugee team, I would have turned pro or gone on another journey. They stayed with me and welcomed me like a big family. They love me, care for me and always support me. I would like to thank the refugee team for everything they have done for me.”
“The reason I'm a refugee is because of my sexuality.”
Cindy grew up in Cameroon with her mother and older brother Kennett. When she was 11 years old, they both traveled to England to live with her father, but language was one of her major problems. “I started going to school in the 8th grade, but my English wasn't very good and I was bullied. I was a sad girl trying to live each day as it came, and it was hard. The main reason was because I didn't have a mother. I wondered why God did this to me. Why are these people harassing me because of the way I speak?” said the boxer. said in a conversation. Voices of Refugees, on Eurosport.
“I didn't know about things like deodorant, so I smelled bad in class and the kids made fun of me,” Cindy recalled of those difficult days. I met two people who started opening the door. “I had two PE teachers, Mrs. Park and Mrs. Schofield, who were like mothers to me and often bought me sprays. was my favorite subject. I've always been an athlete and they motivated me to do well. I became a sports leader and played every sport I could.”
Cindy's passion in Cameroon was soccer. She came to England with her idea of becoming a soccer player until she was 15 years old. She discovered a sport that allowed her to become an Olympian 10 years later. “One day, as I was coming home from soccer practice, I saw a bunch of boys leaving the room. All I heard was a thump, thump. She started the first bat. At the time, women's boxing was just beginning to take its first steps in the Olympic world (its debut was in London in 2012), and she admitted: “At the time, my coach[Dave]Langhorne) didn't believe in women's boxing. For almost three years, all I did was jump, do push-ups, and do back-to-back squats.”
Another difficult period that the national champion in three different categories had to go through was in 2019 when she was almost deported. “It was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. When we moved to the UK, Kennett and I visited the immigration office in Manchester once a week and signed papers. Once they separated us, I was left alone in a room with a woman and two police officers. They handcuffed me, put me in the back of a van, and drove me to London. At the time, I had no idea where I was going. Or I didn't even know it was a concentration camp. It was like a prison. The next morning they let me call my brother, and a few hours later a woman told me I could go. I think it was my uncle who gave them enough information to prove that we could stay here. “I think about it every day,” she told Refugee Voices, recalling: “Two years ago I was granted refugee status. Being gay is illegal in my country so if they sent me back I could have been jailed. I stayed in the UK with protection. I'm grateful to be able to do this. It's sad and shocking to think that a country can judge a person based on their sexuality. This is true not only in Cameroon, but in many other places where people's lives are at risk just because they are gay. It's happening in countries like this.”
Cindy says that while she was once embarrassed by being called a refugee, she now sees it as a turning point in her life. “Many refugees around the world have potential, but the door has not been opened to them yet. They are extended families around the world,” she said after the Olympic qualifiers in Italy. he said. “My goal is to win a gold medal, or any other medal. All I have to do is work hard, take care of my job, and focus on my job, so I I will get it done.” Paris will be a special place not only for boxing, but also because her mother, who left when she was 11 to go to England and was never able to see her boxing in person, lives in the French capital. .
Busto Arsizio Olympic Qualifying Championship earns 49 Olympic spots
The first tournament, aimed at qualifying for the Paris 2024 Games, featured 28 men and 21 women. The last chance will be at the Olympic qualifying tournament in Bangkok in May.
The Paris 2024 Games will feature seven categories for men and six for women, meaning each country could have up to 13 boxers competing. Australia ranks highest at 12th overall, followed by Brazil at 10th, followed by Uzbekistan (9th), France (8th), Italy (8th) and the United States (6th). Meanwhile, Cuba, which topped the medal rankings at the Tokyo Olympics, currently has only four boxers eligible to compete. The United Kingdom, Colombia, Spain, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama are also insured.
