Mitch Valize

Started: He took up the sport in 2015. (parkstadactueel.nl, 09 Jan 2021) Reason: "In the summer of 2015 I had the last operation on my leg. During the rehabilitation that followed, I was introduced to Paralympic sport for the first time. Due to a few minor complications I was not immediately allowed to walk with a prosthesis, I had to exercise without. To stay fit, the only option was handcycling. After all, you don't need legs for it. I got into that bike for the first time thinking, 'We'll do this for a few weeks, maybe a few months, and then I'm going to do my own thing again'. As I spent more time on the bike, I started to like it more and more." (parkstadactueel.nl, 09 Jan 2021) Additional Info: FOOTBALL REFEREE He played football when he was a child and is also a qualified referee. "At [age] 18 I stopped playing football. I had noticed for a while that 90 minutes of moving got a little too much for my left leg. I don't remember exactly why I started refereeing. It was kind of a weekend job for me. Instead of packing bags in the supermarket, I refereed the youth teams. It's much more fun. In addition, I always have the drive to do something better than others. I was annoyed by all those referees on the amateur fields, but also on the professional fields, who blow the whistle for everything. Football is a contact sport and in my opinion we are increasingly moving towards a sport in which nothing is allowed anymore. The most important thing is that those kids have fun." (parkstadactueel.nl, 09 Jan 2021) FURTHER EDUCATION In 2017 he graduated with a master's degree in human movement sciences from Maastricht University in the Netherlands. (Instagram profile, 10 Aug 2023; LinkedIn profile, 01 Jul 2022)