Olivier van de Voort

Started: He was involved in swimming before his accident in 2009. He began Para swimming during his rehabilitation. (corienoranje.nl, 2011; eo.nl, 2010) Reason: Before his accident he was into sports like swimming, football, tennis and horse riding. After a six-month period of rehabilitation, he learned to walk and swim again, re-joining his former swimming club, DZ and PC Drachten. (fryskeparasporthelden.nl, 23 Sep 2013; corienoranje.nl, 2011; eo.nl, 2010) Ambition: To win gold at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (omropfryslan.nl, 06 Dec 2023) Awards: He was named the 2011 Young Person of the Year by the youth magazine '7Days' in the Netherlands. (jeugdjournaal.nl, 20 Jan 2012) Additional Info: BREAK FROM SPORT Following the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, he took a break from elite level swimming for about six years, returning in 2023. During this period he focused on his studies, earning a master's degree in science, business and innovation at the Free University of Amsterdam. "Rio was fantastic, but I didn't have enough motivation to continue. I also had to study, so I went for that." (LinkedIn profile, 10 Jun 2024; motivationalolivier.com, 2024; Instagram profile, 29 Apr 2024, 03 Dec 2023; omropfryslan.nl, 06 Dec 2023) EARLY LIFE He lived in Vietnam for the first three years of his life before moving to Jakarta, Indonesia, at age six with his family. He spent three years in Jakarta, where he attended the Netherlands International School [NIS]. (sporttop.nl, 2015) AUTHOR In 2011 a book about his life story titled 'Kampioen' [Champion] was published in the Netherlands. In 2021 a follow-up book called 'Kampioen 2.0' was published. (Columbus Kinderboeken Facebook page, 07 Oct 2021; corienoranje.nl, 26 May 2015; eo.nl, 2010)