The Special Olympics Healthy Athletes® initiative offered health screenings to more than 1,200 athletes at the 2005 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, such as this hearing exam of a Special Olympics Russia athlete. More than 1,000 health professionals and volunteers provided 4,200 health screenings at no cost to the athletes in six Healthy Athletes disciplines: Special Smiles (dental); Opening Eyes (vision); Healthy Hearing (audiology); Health Promotion (sun safety, nutrition, bone density); FUNfitness (physical therapy); and Fit Feet (podiatry). Special Olympics believes unless an athlete is healthy, he or she cannot compete effectively in sports or life. Each year, tens of thousands of Special Olympics athletes receive health services through Special Olympics Programs around the world. The Healthy Athletes® initiative is designed to help Special Olympics athletes improve their health and fitness, leading to an enhanced sports experience and improved well being. Athletes receive health services at Special Olympics competitions, while health care professionals learn about the health needs of Special Olympics athletes, gaining confidence in volunteering their skills to an underserved population.  Healthy Athletes Objectives Improve access and health care for Special Olympics athletes at event-based health screenings Make referrals to local health practitioners when appropriate Train health care professionals and students in the health professions about the needs and care of people with intellectual disabilities Collect, analyze and dessiminate data on the health status and needs of people with intellectual disabilities Advocate for improved health policies and programs for person with intellectual disabilities The Special Olympics Healthy Athletes initiative includes these disciplines: Fit Feet — podiatric screening and treatment; FUNfitness — comprehensive physical therapy component; Health Promotion — health and wellness (disease prevention) component; Healthy Hearing — audiological component; Opening Eyes® — quality vision screenings and eye health care; and Special Smiles® — dental screening, education and referrals. In addition, Special Olympics has developed MedFest, a program that facilitates the required standard sports physical examination for current and prospective Special Olympics athletes. "The lack of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of common health conditions directly affects the physical performance of individuals with intellectual disabilities, as well as the public's perceptions of their capabilities and competence in every aspect of life," said Dr. Stephen Corbin, Dean of Special Olympics University. Learn more about Healthy Athletes by visiting the Initiatives section of this Web site. Contact Information: David Evangelista, Director, Health Programs, at +1 (202) 824-0314 or devangelista@specialolympics.org.