Refugee athlete Cindy Ngamba achieves first win at Paris 2024

Cheering for Ngamba at the North Paris Arena were also a group of beneficiaries of the Terrains d’Avenir programme, an initiative run by the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) in Paris and its region. Upholding a commitment made last year during his visit to Terrains d’Avenir, the IOC President invited a group of young people affected by displacement to cheer on and support Cindy Ngamba.

The group made signs, held up banners and cheered loudly in support of the EOR boxing star. After the fight, they also had an opportunity to meet with the IOC President, who thanked them for their support of the Refugee Olympic Team.

Speaking after the competition, Chef de Mission Masomah Ali Zada said: “It feels amazing to have witnessed Cindy win her first Olympic fight. She used all of her strength to succeed today, and we are very proud that she is representing our team.

“It’s extra special that she did this in front of participants from the Terrains d’Avenir programme. It demonstrates why this team is so important. When we can inspire people who have also had to flee their homes, when people can see their own stories reflected in the boxing ring – then, like Cindy, they too can believe in themselves.”

Ngamba, who was one of the flagbearers for the team at the Opening Ceremony, said after her fight: “Being here means the world to me, and I hope it means the world to many other people. There are many refugees around the world who are not even athletes, who are going through many different issues, so many obstacles and they don’t believe in themselves. I hope that them watching me, they can see that through anything in life I was able to overcome.”

Ngamba will now compete in the quarter-final fight on 4 August.

Supporting young people across Paris

Terrains d’Avenir is the ORF’s flagship programme in the Greater Paris region. It is an inspiring programme that uses sports – such as dance, taekwondo and football, amongst many others – to support displaced young people to access sport in the Greater Paris region.

France hosts a large number of displaced people from all over the world. Many of them live in the Greater Paris region – where this programme is based – at least temporarily, and many experience isolation and challenges settling into their new home.

The programme aims to support more than 7,000 young people aged 10-24 to access safe sport to find a sense of belonging and a positive life path. It is co-financed by the French Ministry of Sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, supported by the Ville de Paris, Paris 2024, the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) and UNHCR France, and delivered by a number of delivery partners.

In Paris and beyond

Supporting refugees and displaced populations remains a key priority for the IOC, as outlined in Recommendation 11 of Olympic Agenda 2020+5. The Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) was established in 2017 to build on this commitment.

In addition to supporting elite athletes in their participation in the Olympic Games, the ORF works to provide access to safe sport for people affected by displacement worldwide. Through partnerships and its programmes across the globe, the ORF aims to build a movement where displaced people can improve their mental health and well-being and find belonging in their host communities, through sport. The Foundation aims to ensure young people can access sport wherever they may be, and that sports can be adopted at all levels as a tool for supporting refugees.

Since its inception in 2017, the work of the ORF has resulted in almost 400,000 young people being able to access safe sport. More than 1,600 coaches have been trained in delivering safe sport sessions, and its programmes have supported young people in 11 countries across all five continents.