Andreas Onea

Started: He took up the sport at age seven at the Weisser Hof Rehabilitation Centre in Austria. (Athlete, 10 Sep 2019) Reason: He began swimming as therapy. "[I wanted] to stay fit and learn how to have an active lifestyle with one arm. The great thing about swimming is that the water supports the body and you can move around with limited mobility. At some point I took part in a smaller competition and from then on it developed step by step. I made the decision to do professional sport at the age of 18." (guterzweck.at, 01 Oct 2020; Athlete, 10 Sep 2019; tips.at, 05 Jul 2019) Ambition: To win gold at the Paralympic Games, and to continue competing through to the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. (Athlete, 27 Aug 2024; noe.orf.at, 21 Nov 2020) Awards: In 2013 he received the Goldene Sportehrenabzeichen [Golden Badge of Honour] in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria. (Facebook profile, 22 May 2015) In September 2010 he was presented with the Goldene Verdienstzeichen der Republik Osterreich [Golden Badge of Honour of the Republic of Austria]. (Facebook profile, 22 May 2015) He was named 2008 and 2009 Young Male Athlete of the Year by the Austrian Disabled Sports Association [OBSV]. (obsv.at, 26 Feb 2016) Additional Info: MEDIA CAREER He has worked as a presenter on the Austrian television programme 'Ohne Grenzen' [No Limits] and for the Austrian Armed Forces podcast 'SportRapport'. He has also written articles for the Schwimm-Union Wien website in Austria. "I have been moderating 'Ohne Grenzen' since 2012. It was one of the biggest developments of my life. I can make a bigger impact with the programme rather than sitting at home and complaining that they make poor reports on 'us'. In general, I am a bit critical of the scene, because I find that people with an impairment are more likely to take things outside the box, approach the environment differently, and play a more active role in the desired change." (heldenderfreizeit.com, 10 Aug 2022; tv.orf.at, 09 Dec 2021; Osterreichs Bundesheer YouTube channel, 24 May 2021; obsv.at, 02 Feb 2021; schwimm-union-wien.at, 21 Dec 2020; Facebook page, 02 Sep 2020; meinbezirk.at, 23 May 2019; medium.com, 18 Feb 2019; andreasonea.at, 19 Nov 2014) FUTURE PLANS He plans to establish his own start-up business. "I've been observing the start-up scene for a long time. At the moment [speaking in 2021] I would like to continue with my motivational speaking in addition to professional sport because I have good leverage with it in society. I also have ideas on how a start-up can improve the inclusion of people with impairments in the labour market. I think that digitisation and entrepreneurship have an extremely big impact here. I still have a few good years ahead of me in top-level sport, even if I didn't reach my personal goal at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo. I would definitely like to take part in the next Games in Paris and Los Angeles. Then I'll be 36 and that's also a good age to start a business." (Facebook page, 24 Feb 2022; brutkasten.com, 05 Oct 2021) FURTHER EDUCATION In 2020 he graduated with a master's degree in business administration and sports from the University of Applied Sciences Burgenland in Eisenstadt, Austria. (LinkedIn profile, 28 Apr 2024; Athlete, 10 Sep 2019)