Michael David Alexander Lega (born 12 October 1973) is a Swedish politician for the Christian Democrats, and a former

paralympic swimmer Para swimming is an adaptation of the sport of swimming for athletes with disabilities. Para swimmers compete at the Summer Paralympic Games and at other sports competitions throughout the world. The sport is governed by the International Paral ...

who beat 14 world records during his career. He is a Member of the European Parliament since

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, and serves on the Committee on foreign affairs and the Committee of human rights.

Early life and career

Lega was born with the congenital disease arthrogryposis. He became a paralympic swimmer, competing in the

Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...

in Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000, and the IPC Swimming World Championships in 1994 and 1998. He won three gold medals in the 1998 IPC Championships. Lega retired as a swimmer after the 2000 Paralympic Games and became a public speaker and entrepreneur. He owns companies within personal development, computer technology, and a fashion brand called Lega Wear. He released the book ''HANDS FREE - David Lega's Inspiring Journey'' in 2008. In 2005, he was named one of the JCI Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World. He has been on the executive boards of the Swedish Sports Confederation and UNICEF Sweden. He won the Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award in 1996.

Political career

In January 2011, Lega was elected chairman of the executive committee of

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

. In January 2012 he became the second vice chairman of the executive board for the Christian Democratic Party in Sweden. Lega has been a Member of the European Parliament since the

2019 elections The following elections were scheduled to occur in 2019. The International Foundation for Electoral Systems has a calendar of upcoming elections around the world, and the National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections in coun ...

, serving on the Committee on Foreign Affairs and its

Subcommittee on Human Rights The Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI) is a subcommittee of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament. It is responsible for issues of human rights and democracy, including ensuring their implementation in European Union policy, ...

. In addition to his committee assignments, he is part of the European Parliament Intergroup on Disability.Members of the Disability Intergroup - EPP
European Disability Forum.

References

Sources

*https://web.archive.org/web/20081007090024/http://www.davidlega.com/ *http://www.jci.cc/news/en/5491/Sweden's-David-Lega-Selected-as-a-TOYP-Honoree *http://www.legawear.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Lega, David 1973 births Swimmers at the 2000 Summer Paralympics World record holders in paralympic swimming Living people Paralympic swimmers of Sweden Swimmers at the 1996 Summer Paralympics Christian Democrats (Sweden) MEPs MEPs for Sweden 2019–2024 Swedish people of Jewish descent