Paris 2024: Refugee Olympic team ensures first-ever medal

Cindy Ngamba has made history by becoming the first-ever refugee athlete guaranteed to receive an Olympic medal – the colour yet to be determined – following a dominant quarter-final boxing match at the Paris Games on Sunday.

The 25-year-old was the first boxer to qualify for the Refugee Olympic Team, and now she is slated to win either a gold, a silver or a bronze later in the week, after her contest against France’s Davina Michel in the 75-kilo category.

“I want to say to refugees all around the world, [including] refugees who are not athletes around the world, keep on working, keep on believing in yourself, you can achieve whatever you put your mind to,” said Ngamba, who had fled Cameroon as a child, arriving in the United Kingdom, where she could speak no English and faced bullying.

Now she stands to win at least a bronze medal on the Olympic podium, following her scheduled bout on Thursday against Atheyna Bylon from Panama, with the winner advancing to the final showdown for gold or silver.

Message of hope

Ngamba’s mother, aunt and some of her siblings live in Paris, which has made her Olympic dream even more special, she said.

“It means the world to me to be the first ever refugee athlete to win a medal,” Ngamba said after Sunday’s victory. “I hope I can change the [colour of] the medal on my next fight. In fact, I will change it.”

Whatever the outcome and whatever the eventual colour of her medal, her historic achievement has already sent a powerful message of hope to some 120 million forcibly displaced people worldwide.

Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, offered his congratulations immediately after Sunday’s fight “for reaching the boxing semi-finals at Paris 2024 and being assured of a medal – the first ever medal for the Refugee Olympic team”.

“You do us all very, very proud!” Grandi said.

Largest Refugee Olympic Team

Ngamba is one of 37 athletes competing in Paris as part of the largest ever refugee team, which was created by the IOC to give displaced sportspeople the chance to compete at the highest level.

She was also one of the flagbearers at the opening ceremony, along with Yahya Al-Ghotany, a taekwondoin who lives in Jordan’s Azraq refugee camp.

The first ever refugee team made history at the Rio Olympics in 2016, followed by a 29-strong team competing at Tokyo 2020.

Sparring with the boys

After arriving in the UK as a child, Ngamba said she faced bullying and loneliness at school until she discovered boxing by chance at her local youth club in the northern city of Bolton, close to Manchester.

Initially, there were no other girls for her to train with and she had to spar with boys – but she soon began travelling for fights, winning the first of three national championships in 2019.

She trained for the 2024 Paris Games, supported by the Olympic Refuge Foundation through its refugee athletes scholarship programme, which is funded by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

‘A huge moment’

Jojo Ferris, who heads the Olympic Refuge Foundation, said Ngamba’s victory is a powerful statement.

“Cindy reminds us what refugees can and do achieve, how they thrive if they are given the opportunity and what a positive contribution they make to communities around the world,” he said.

“This is a huge moment for Cindy, the IOC Refugee Olympic Team and 120 million people across the world that have been forced to flee their homes.”