Nike Signs First Refugee Athlete, Continues Collaboration with Olympic Refuge Foundation

Editor’s note: This release was updated May 20, 2024, to reflect the signing of Nike’s first sponsored athlete from the IOC Refugee Olympic Team.

Nike is pleased to announce the signing of boxer Cindy Ngamba, a member of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team Paris 2024.

Cindy, who joined Nike’s athlete roster in March, left her birth country of Cameroon at 11 years old. She now resides and trains in the United Kingdom, where she’s a three-time national boxing champion and a coach for young athletes.

“Being refugee athletes, we are like any other athlete. The only difference is that we have a different paper or different citizenship,” Cindy says. “The moment I realized boxing can change my life is when I first stepped inside a boxing ring. I felt overwhelmed and at the same time excited; that was the moment when I realized I was made for this.”

Nike is pleased to partner with Cindy and champion her on her sports journey, mirroring the brand’s support for the broader refugee community. Nike continues to collaborate with the Olympic Refuge Foundation to help displaced people find community and a sense of belonging through sport. This includes supplying kit for the IOC Refugee Olympic Team, as shown in the new film, "Watch Where We're Going," included in the gallery below.

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Sept. 6, 2023 — Nike believes that the power of sport can move the world forward. That taking action to create a better world — one that is more active, inclusive and equitable for everyone — means prioritizing those who face the greatest barriers, including displaced community members.

That’s why Nike is collaborating with the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) to help displaced people find community and a sense of belonging through sport.

The collaboration will provide access to more inclusive play and sport environments that create greater confidence and improve overall mental health. This includes supporting the ORF’s Paris-based program, Terrains d’Avenir, that focuses on giving women and girls greater access to sport; providing trauma-informed coaching resources to help coaches deliver sport to displaced community members; and employing a person(s) with lived experience of displacement to support the collaboration.

“Nike is focused on expanding play and sport for girls,” says Vanessa Garcia-Brito, Nike Chief Social & Community Impact Officer. “Globally, girls face complex cultural and social barriers and, as a result, are moving the least. Girls enter sport later and drop out earlier — at twice the rate of boys. Our support of the Olympic Refuge Foundation aims to change that for displaced girls. With a shared belief that all kids should have access to play, we’re committed to removing barriers by providing displaced girls in Paris with strong, caring mentors and coaches who can empower them with a lifetime of confidence.”

Through this collaboration, Nike will also provide uniform support for the IOC Refugee Olympic Team and the Refugee Athlete Scholarship Program, managed by the ORF, which helps support 63 refugee athletes from around the world, representing 13 sports.

Together, Nike and the ORF are collaborating to level the playing field for displaced athletes to create a better future for everyone.