Cindy Ngamba
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1998 (age 25–26) Cameroon |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Boxing |
| Club | Bolton |
Cindy Ngamba (born 1998) is a British-Cameroonian amateur boxer who competed for the EOC Refugee Team at the 2023 European Games, and has qualified to compete for the Refugee Olympic Team at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Personal life[edit]
Ngamba was born in Cameroon.[1] At the age of 11, Ngamba moved to the United Kingdom.[1] Her uncle lost Ngamba's immigration paperwork when he moved back to Cameroon.[2] Ngamba studied criminology at the University of Bolton.[3]
In 2019,[2] Ngamba and her brother were detained whilst attending an immigration office in Bolton, and sent to a detention centre in London.[3][4] They were released the following day.[3] Aged 18, Ngamba came out; as such, she does not want to return to Cameroon, where homosexuality is illegal.[1]
Career[edit]
Ngamba trains with GB Boxing, although she cannot compete for Great Britain as she does not have a British passport.[1] She has won British National Amateur Championships in three different weight categories, making her the first woman to achieve the feat since Natasha Jonas.[3][1]
In 2023, Ngamba won a Bocskai event in Hungary,[4] and competed in the under 75kg event[5] for the EOC Refugee Team at the 2023 European Games.[1] She competed for the Olympic Refugee Team in the 2024 World Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament 1[3] and qualified for the Summer Olympics in Paris, alongside her British colleague Chantelle Reid. She was the first Refugee Team boxer to qualify for the Olympics.[6]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f "Refugee boxer Cindy Ngamba has 'overcome obstacles' to pursue Team GB dreams". The Independent. 21 June 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Bolton boxing champion faces deportation threat". The Bolton News. 21 September 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Paris Olympics: Cindy Ngamba on fighting for British citizenship and her dream of competing at the Games". BBC Sport. 8 March 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Cindy Ngamba's extraordinary fight to box for Britain and keep her Olympic dream alive: 'I had to go through so much'". Sky Sports. 25 February 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ "EOC Refugee boxer Cindy Ngamba: "If I was able to overcome those times then I can overcome any situation"". International Olympic Committee. 27 June 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
- ^ "Paris Olympics: GB-based boxers Patrick Brown, Chantelle Reid and Cindy Ngamba qualify for Games". BBC Sport. 11 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.