Latest news with #CindyNgamba
NZ Herald
21-04-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Pope Francis remembered by IOC president Thomas Bach; credited for inspiring Olympic refugee team
To be eligible, athletes needed to be elite competitors in their respective sport and be refugees in their host country, recognised by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The first refugee Olympic team included 10 athletes - six competing in athletics, two in swimming and two in judo. The team expanded to 19 athletes for the next edition of the Games, before a 37-strong team was selected for last year's event in Paris. In 2024, the refugee Olympic team secured its first medal when Cindy Ngamba secured bronze in the women's middleweight boxing event. Bach, who steps down in June and will be succeeded by Zimbabwean Kirsty Coventry, said he was grateful for Francis' support throughout his 12-year papacy. 'His support for the peace and solidarity mission of the Olympic Games and the refugee initiatives of the IOC has been unwavering,' said Bach. 'I got to know His Holiness as a very pensive intellectual who was humble and had a very good sense of humour. 'His deep passion for sport and the Olympic values was always obvious.'
BBC News
18-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Ngamba to have surgery after pro debut withdrawal
Olympian Cindy Ngamba says she will undergo surgery to "correct" the issue that prevented her from making her professional boxing debut in 26-year-old was preparing for a light-middleweight contest at the Royal Albert Hall but was withdrawn on medical grounds just a day before the planned Ngamba made history at last year's Paris Olympics as the first member of the Refugee Olympic Team to win a medal."I was heartbroken not to make my pro debut March 7th [when] a routine pre fight medical revealed an issues which prevented me from competing," Ngamba wrote in an Instagram post on she did not detail the nature of the problem, she added that she would have "surgery to correct things in the coming weeks" and return to full training later in the Ngamba signed a "multi-fight" promotional deal with Boxxer earlier this was scheduled to fight Kirstie Bavington on the all-female card headlined by welterweight world champion Lauren Price's unification win over Natasha Jonas."This is just a setback, not the end of the road. The best chapters are yet to come," Ngamba said."I will be back in action soon. Stronger, sharper and ready to leave my mark in the woman's boxing division. Always stay positive."
Sky News
14-03-2025
- Sport
- Sky News
Olympic boxer who won refugee team's first-ever medal turns pro after UK citizenship rejection
Even for a boxer, Cindy Ngamba has had to fight more than most. And she's still fighting beyond the ring ahead of another career landmark. The 26-year-old was the first-ever member of the Olympic refugee team to win a medal - bronze at Paris 2024 - and has been preparing for her professional debut. "I've had a very, very, very hard journey," Ngamba told Sky News. She had been aiming to fight in the grandest of London venues - the Royal Albert Hall - in a super welterweight bout against Kirstie Bavington on an all-female card on Friday, but has since pulled out. "I'm one of 100 million refugees out there, all around the world," Ngamba said in a south London boxing club. "So I'll be the first ever refugee turning pro. And I'm sure many, many more will come. "And I hope that all the refugees out there can just look at me and see what I'm achieving, and hopefully that can kind of give them motivation." Even though she was celebrated by King Charles during a post-Olympics reception, Ngamba was unable to compete for Team GB as she has not been granted British citizenship. That is despite now being in Britain for 15 years, since leaving Cameroon aged 11. "GB Boxing have tried their best," she said. "I've seen them trying their best to get my papers fixed sooner before the 2024 Olympics. And there was no way to fix it earlier before the Olympics." 'I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy' She has not just been thwarted in her bid for citizenship, but there was a fear of being deported after attending an immigration office in 2019. "In that moment, I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy," she said. "Being taken to a detention camp, speaking to all the females down there that were telling me they had been there for years, months and days. "And some of them didn't even know when they were going to be released. And you go in there thinking, that's going to be you, and you're wondering, is that going to be me? Am I going to be staying there that long? "You can't speak to no one. You can't hear from your family telling you everything's going to be okay. Everything's going to be fine. That's what kept me going during the build-up to the Olympics. I think it only made me stronger." Representing the LGBTQ+ community Refugee status was granted over fears of being imprisoned for being gay if she returned to Cameroon - an issue she did not want to directly discuss in this interview. "I feel like I'm representing the LGBTQ+ community," she said. "The young generation, the future generation out there that will kind of look at me as a role model." That's why she is still taking a stand against Saudi Arabia, the nation investing so much in the sport and staging the biggest fights and sponsoring Friday night's all-female card. "I will give my opinion about it - I think it's very bad," she said. "I don't think I would want to go to Riyadh if the law has not changed on the LGBTQ+ and for females mainly." But asked about the Saudis saying they welcome anyone and have women competing in sport, Ngamba replied: "I need proof. That's my answer." Her main focus now is beginning the journey to add a championship belt to a collection featuring that milestone Olympic medal.
Fox Sports
06-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Olympic refugee boxer out of pro debut because of medical issue, promoter says
Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Olympic boxing bronze medalist Cindy Ngamba has been withdrawn from her scheduled professional debut because of a medical issue, promotion company Boxxer said Thursday. Ngamba was set to face Kirstie Bavington in a super welterweight bout Friday as part of an all-female card headlined by the Natasha Jonas vs. Lauren Price welterweight world title unification fight at Royal Albert Hall. "Cindy Ngamba will not be making her professional debut on Friday night after a pre-fight medical examination revealed an issue requiring further investigation," Boxxer said in a statement. 'The health and safety of fighters remains the highest priority, and Cindy will undergo further tests in the coming days.' At the Paris Olympics, Ngamba became the first athlete competing as a refugee to earn a medal when she took bronze in the middleweight category. The 26-year-old Ngamba was born in Cameroon and has lived in Britain for the past 15 years. Boxxer did not respond to a request for more information. ___ AP boxing:
Associated Press
06-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Olympic refugee boxer out of pro debut because of medical issue, promoter says
LONDON (AP) — Olympic boxing bronze medalist Cindy Ngamba has been withdrawn from her scheduled professional debut because of a medical issue, promotion company Boxxer said Thursday. Ngamba was set to face Kirstie Bavington in a super welterweight bout Friday as part of an all-female card headlined by the Natasha Jonas vs. Lauren Price welterweight world title unification fight at Royal Albert Hall. 'Cindy Ngamba will not be making her professional debut on Friday night after a pre-fight medical examination revealed an issue requiring further investigation,' Boxxer said in a statement. 'The health and safety of fighters remains the highest priority, and Cindy will undergo further tests in the coming days.' At the Paris Olympics, Ngamba became the first athlete competing as a refugee to earn a medal when she took bronze in the middleweight category. The 26-year-old Ngamba was born in Cameroon and has lived in Britain for the past 15 years. Boxxer did not respond to a request for more information. ___
