Miguel Vieira

Started: He took up Para judo in 2012 at age 26. (Athlete, 01 Apr 2016; deficienciavisual.pt, 05 Sep 2016) Reason: He had practised judo from age 14 to 19 in Luanda, Angola, following his brother into the sport. After he lost his sight he relocated to Portugal. Several years later he decided to find a judo club as he had been unable to enter university. (observador.pt, 16 Nov 2018; deficienciavisual.pt, 05 Sep 2016) Milestones: He became the first athlete to represent Portugal in judo at the Paralympic Games when he competed in the -66kg category at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. (SportsDeskOnline, 21 Apr 2021; observador.pt, 16 Nov 2018) Additional Info: FROM ANGOLA TO PORTUGAL Born in Angola, he relocated to Lisbon, Portugal, in 2005 to seek treatment for his vision impairment. (publico.pt, 16 May 2019; tviplayer.iol.pt, 08 Aug 2017) OTHER ACTIVITIES He has held the role of secretary general of the Santa Casa da Misericordia charity in Lisbon, Portugal. He has also served as an ambassador for the Portuguese Society for Health Literacy, through which he seeks to inspire people with his story. "We often hear about the importance of health, but few people go and read more about it. There is a lot of ignorance about what happens to us. There is little information and knowledge." (splsportugal.com, 10 Feb 2024; noticiasaominuto.com, 22 Sep 2023; escs-lem.blogspot.com, 24 Feb 2021) MUSICIAN He has been a member of an African gospel band called Miguel Vieira Afrogospel. (escs-lem.blogspot.com, 24 Feb 2021; Facebook page, 21 Feb 2020)