Cindy Ngamba ‘part of Bolton’ and ‘one of our own’, college principal says

Cindy Ngamba, who won a historic medal for the Refugee Olympic Team, is “part of Bolton” and “one of our own”, the principal of her former college has said.

The 25-year-old, based in Bolton, claimed bronze in the women’s 75kg boxing semi-final at the Paris Games on Thursday evening – the first-ever medal for the team.

She was born in Cameroon and moved to the UK at the age of 11, but has faced challenges obtaining citizenship since and was at one point sent to a detention camp with her brother, Kennet, due to a paperwork issue.

Cindy Ngamba (right) boxed against Panama’s Atheyna Bibeichi Bylon (Peter Byrne/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Peter Byrne

She feared deportation back to Cameroon, where a return would be unsafe due to her sexuality, as homosexuality is illegal there.

But the “Bolton family” have embraced her as one of their own.

Bill Webster, principal of Bolton College – a further education college where Ngamba was a student – told the PA news agency that she still has refugee status, despite having lived in the UK for over a decade.

“We think she’s part of Bolton,” he said.

Referencing the riots that have swept through the UK over the last week, he said: “Here we have this young woman who’s ended up on our shores, who’s found a life for herself through her own determination to reach the peak of sporting achievement.

“At the same time, people are coming up with nonsense about ‘send people home’. The mind boggles doesn’t it?”

At the end of the day, getting a bronze medal at the Olympics is just phenomenal

Bill Webster

He told of “how close” Bolton is as a community, adding: “It’s really, really interesting to see in all the noise that’s going on with other things in the country at the moment, just how much Bolton pulls together.

“It’s called a Bolton family.”

Mr Webster watched the semi-final on Thursday and said he “couldn’t be more pleased” for Ngamba.

“At the end of the day, getting a bronze medal at the Olympics is just phenomenal,” he told PA.

“I couldn’t be more pleased for her.

Cindy Ngamba has refugee status (Nick Potts/PA)PA Archive/PA Images - Nick Potts

“Just shows where somebody, who has got determination against the odds, against a lot thrown at you, can manage with support from her extended family and friends that she’s got in Bolton and the education system we’ve got.

“Fundamentally it’s down to her, isn’t it, it’s her grit and determination.

“I was just thrilled.”

The Elite Community Hub CIC, where Ngamba trains with Elite Boxing, hosted a watch party for the match which they were expecting to be “bedlam” and full of supporters.

Of the club, Mr Webster said: “She’s found a group of people there that unconditionally supported her, regardless of what flag she was bearing, just because she was one of our own.”

Ngamba first started boxing at Bolton Lads and Girls Club (BLGC) when she was around 14 years old.

It makes me immensely proud and the whole organisation immensely proud that we were able to be the start of what has become a brilliant career for her

Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson, director of finance at BLGC, told PA how the club secured funding for Ngamba so she could get one-to-one sessions, buy training equipment and travel for boxing.

“She came as a refugee and we saw potential and she enjoyed it and like I say we accessed this fund for her to help her on her way,” Ms Robinson said.

Of seeing Ngamba become an Olympic athlete, she said: “It makes me immensely proud and the whole organisation immensely proud that we were able to be the start of what has become a brilliant career for her.

“It’s absolutely amazing and everybody at the club is following her progress. It’s just absolutely amazing that we were there at the start.”