By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart
An opinion piece from the only Donald worth listening to…
Full Stop – In British English grammar a full stop is a lengthy pause, in the US, you call it a period. In the UK that tends to suggest feminine products. Here it means a period of time where I look at something in boxing in a little more depth. I am typing from my perspective of a fan who watches the sport closely. It’s an opinion. It is my opinion. Don’t like it? There are other opinions out there but if you don’t like it then good, debate and democracy are a good thing. If you do like it, feel free to spread the word.
Migrant Poverty?
In case you missed it, migrants did pretty well in sport recently. You know the ones who people blame for all sorts of bad things. They proved their mettle and even won a medal at the Olympics.
But don’t let that stop your prejudice manifest itself in the riots in the United Kingdom where people who shouted in the faces of law enforcement, tried to burn down places filled with refugees and started fights with other people and law enforcement personnel are being sent to prison. Keep up the rhetoric on the X platform or whatever Insta account you hide behind. Just keep telling yourself all you are doing is telling the truth when spreading lies and challenging pizza parlors over hiding kids in the basement gets you your kicks.
And so, turn away from this good news story, because, by the way, it has some details you may find harrowing. So let me start with a trigger warning. This might challenge your opinions if you are bigoted or are convinced that everyone of different skin color is a danger or if they have come from a war-torn country set upon revenge against your daughter aged 6, if you have a daughter. Likely you are still trying to find a buck toothed maiden with more teeth than the number she can count on her six fingered hand to be able to procreate with.
But hey, everyone has the right to an opinion and speak their truth. But you can go on that ironic thing called Truth Social which does not appear to be truthful nor support social interaction. It’s a bit like the People’s Democratic Republic of North Korea. That’s neither a republic nor democratic and the people are hardly respected. Must be why people behind one are so enamored by the other.
But anyway, let me introduce you to a refugee athlete at the Olympics.
Cindy Ngamba.
Trained by the United Kingdom’s boxing team she won a bronze in the women’s 75kg division in Roland Garros in Paris. We could not have her represent Team GB because she does not have a British passport, though she has lived in the United Kingdom for 15 years; since the age of 10. She was the very first refugee boxer to make the Olympics and the greatest achievement was in simply being there.
Her story is one of triumph against adversity. And the British don’t come out of it too well. Ngamba went to school in Bolton, England whilst learning how to box in the local gym. She caught the eye of people in the business but also of the authorities and her treatment by British authorities has been scandalous. Eventually granted asylum, she had been held in a detention center after being arrested. She faced deportation back to her home country, Cameroon, where she would be illegal. Ngamba is gay and in Cameroon that is illegal. But the UK has continually denied her British Citizenship despite the British Boxing Team supporting each and every application.
And whilst her progress has been highlighted by the sporting press, it was her speaking out on behalf of refugees that led to 15,000 at her semi-final defeat, many of whom rose to applaud her progress, chanting her name in the final third round and giving her a rousing ovation as she left with dignity at the end of the fight.
“I want to say to all the refugees all around the world and refugees that are not athletes, and mainly humans around the world, that you have to keep on working hard, keep on believing in yourself. You can achieve whatever you put your mind to.”
And so, onto her next chapter having a bronze medal to add to the gold she won at the 2014 world championships, means that we look towards what might come next – more amateur success or turning professional. And hey, keep those words in your mind as you plot your next thought – to all the refugees out there – humans around the world.
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