Canada rugby star Pamphinette Buisa: "Seeing black girls that have braids like me play changed everything"
In an Olympics.com exclusive, the Canadian speedster explains how rugby changed her life, how she solved an identity crisis during the pandemic, and why she wants to become a politician after the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Rugby Sevens
As a girl born in Canada to Congolese parents, sport was never supposed to be a career option for Pamphinette Buisa. But that all changed after she discovered rugby.
But blessed with natural speed, she was an instant success after picking up the oval-shaped ball.
Just two years later, she was invited to try out for Team Canada’s rugby sevens team for the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games (YOG). Despite having to move across the country from British Columbia to Quebec in order to pursue her dream, Busia’s mind was made up.
“I was a very stubborn child, so I made a PowerPoint of all the reasons why I should be allowed to go, including my grades and everything, and showed it to my dad at a Tim Hortons restaurant,” the 25-year-old told Olympics.com.
_“_I think it was difficult for my parents because not only did they have to let me go, but in our community a lot of women don’t leave home until they are married.
“A couple days later my parents agreed, but were obviously terrified because there was no guarantee of me succeeding in any of this. I was actually injured at the time and I was literally talking to my dad with my arm in a sling!”
Pamphinette Buisa : Youth Olympics silver and Rugby World Cups
Taking that chance proved to be a fruitful decision for the 17-year-old Buisa.
Not only did she make the team and help them win silver, but she got to travel abroad for the first time.
“That was the first time anyone in my family had stepped foot in China, and I realised that through sport, I could see more of the world. After that, my new goal became to get to the Olympic Games, and play rugby for Canada. That’s when my rugby really kicked off.”
And there was another eye-opening moment.
Until that point, Buisa had played on majority white teams. But she practised alongside established black players with Team Quebec, which made her believe that she too could succeed in this sport.
“I saw Latoya Blackwood and I looked at my dad and said, ‘Look, a black girl with muscles who plays sports’, and I was completely in awe,” she continued.
“My dad and I were both shocked having never seen it before. Just seeing black girls that have braids like me changed everything.” - Pamphinette Buisa
Buisa stayed dedicated to her goals and was eventually called up to the senior national team for the World Rugby Sevens Series in 2017, and the 2018 Rugby Sevens World Cup.
After firmly establishing herself in the team and scoring two tries to help Canada win gold at the Lima 2019 Pan Am Games, the flying winger was selected for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Pamphinette Buisa's identity crisis
But with the world seemingly at her feet, everything came crashing to a halt when the global pandemic hit.
Like many other Olympians who had dedicated the last four years of their life to the Games, the postponement hit Buisa hard.
She suddenly lost the community and the sport from which she derived so much pleasure, and was left with an identity crisis which was then compounded by the death of George Floyd.
“I was like, ‘Am I just a rugby player? Who else am I? What else can I provide for the world?” she said.
“And I think seeing the murder of George Floyd on my phone really struck a chord. I was isolated from my family, far from home, with so many unknowns."
Buisa eventually started to find purpose again by forming a new kind of community.
While working at a hotel - which had been transformed into a temporary housing shelter for vulnerable people - she decided to set up a fundraising event called Vancouver Steps Up with some friends.
They raised $15,000 to support international students and people with disabilities on Vancouver Island.
Busia also started organising Black Lives Matter events in her native Victoria and through these experiences, she gained a new perspective on life.
“For a long time, who I was as a person was directly linked to how I played on the rugby field,” Busia admitted.
“I think my relationship with sport was very unhealthy because when I didn't play well, I felt like I wasn't as great as I could be.
"And I think that the more I was able to see other aspects of my identity, that I could be smart, that I could be articulate, that I could provide other things in life.” - Pamphinette Buisa
Pamphinette Buisa: Competing as a role model for Canada
Busia returned to her rugby teammates in 2021 to compete at the rearranged Olympics, where Canada finished sixth overall.
A year later, she made another dream of hers come true of competing for the Maple Leafs in a sevens and 15s Rugby World Cup in the same year.
But rather than focussing only on her team's performance, the Victoria native knew she was also now competing as a role model.
_“_There's a lot of Congolese girls here in Canada and they’re now like, ‘Mom, you can leave home, you can play sport, you can be physical and play this aggressive sport, and still be OK’. And I think that's really cool to see.
“I have a little sister and I think that's always what my reference point is, because she is four years younger than me and looks for guidance.
_“_Whenever she would have a hard time at training or it's cold outside and there's snow and we have to go train, I tell her that we've got to go and do it. It’s hard for us to achieve our dreams but we have to make the most of the opportunities we do have thanks to our parents. Quitting isn't isn’t really an option.”
Pamphinette Buisa: Dreaming of Paris 2024 Olympic qualification
Despite having such a busy schedule, Buisa has also managed to complete a political science degree.
Using this, she hopes to become an ambassador for her sport, before entering politics full-time using her experiences to improve the lives of others.
“Having seen so many different cultures and ways people live their lives around the world, I’ve developed an appreciation for the ways we can integrate more from different communities. Seeing how it’s done in different countries, increasing exposure to these issues is something that I aspire to do,” she said.
But before that happens, there is plenty of work to do on the field ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
“The next Olympics is two years away, and the next World Cup in three. My goal is definitely to go to both. However, this is also contingent on being able to nourish my relationships and nourish what I do outside of sport, like completing my degree.”
“But whatever happens in rugby, my ‘why’ will always be to show up for my parents, my family, and my community.”