Playing sport and seeing friends are the main reasons most athletes participate in Special Olympics. But there is a lot more going on at many of our bigger events than sports – like Special Olympics Healthy Athletes®.
Healthy Athletes is an initiative that offers basic health screenings and services delivered by qualified medical staff in a fun and welcoming way.
People with intellectual disabilities have more healthcare needs than the general population. In addition, sometimes people with intellectual disabilities don’t realise when they are unwell and don’t take appropriate action or seek medical care. By screening athletes at events, we can help keep them healthy!
Through Healthy Athletes screenings and services, athletes have improved health and fitness. Not only do they have a healthier life all round, but they are better able to compete in their sport. After all, it’s pretty hard to get the golf ball in the hole if you can’t see where you’re aiming and it’s really hard to run a full race if your shoes are the wrong size.
You can read the latest Healthy Athletes Update from Special Olympics here.
Since 1997, Special Olympics around the world has been offering free health screenings through the Healthy Athletes programme. Active in more than 100 countries, the Healthy Athletes programme has provided free health screenings to more than 700,000 athletes, making Special Olympics the largest global public health organization dedicated to serving people with intellectual disabilities.