Who is...
Cindy Ngamba was 17 when she was arrested in Manchester and detained in London for two days by immigration enforcement officers. She had arrived in the UK from Cameroon six years earlier, joining her father in Bolton, and found boxing by chance at her local youth club at the age of 15. She quickly developed into one of the best boxers in England, winning British National Amateur Championships in three different weight categories. Now aged 25, Ngamba has been granted refugee status, but is unable to represent Team GB in Paris because she has been denied citizenship. She qualified as part of the IOC’s refugee team – making history by becoming the team’s first guaranteed medallist after beating Frenchwoman Davina Michel to qualify for the semi-finals (losing semi-finalists in the Olympics both get bronze medals). She cannot return to Cameroon due to her sexuality, but is seen in the British boxing community as an honorary teammate, with GB’s boxing performance director Rob McCracken describing her as “part of the family”.
