Change Thru Sport

ESPN.com Photo Gallery

patrickwixted — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 19:39:53 +0000

Check out this awesome ESPN.com photo gallery of the Special Olympics World Games 2011! Click here.

THANK YOU!

patrickwixted — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:38:58 +0000

As we begin to move on from Special Olympics World Games in Athens and look to 2013 World Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, Change Thru Sport wanted to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone for their support.

We also must thank the entire Special Olympics staff led by Tim Shriver, and the Greece Games Organizing Committee. Tireless efforts went to making these Games a complete success. Specific thank yous to the Special Olympics International Communications team including Kirsten Seckler, Ryan Eades, Mandy Murphy and Kristin Hughes.

There will be more content coming here and there – there so much of it! But obviously this space will be a lot less active. Keep up with Special Olympics here and try and get involved in any capacity you can!

Closing Ceremonies – Special Olympics World Games Athens 2011

patrickwixted — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 21:56:57 +0000

Closing Ceremony! An awesome end to an amazing week in Athens. With the closing ceremony, focus shifts ahead to the 2013 World Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea!

Check out more coverage of Closing Ceremonies here and here.

Music Video for Special Olympics World Summer Games Athens 2011

patrickwixted — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:50:55 +0000

Highlights on Video: #Athens2011

patrickwixted — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 15:07:40 +0000

Closing Ceremonies on ESPN3.com!

patrickwixted — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 15:00:33 +0000

Don’t forget you can watch the magic of the Special Olympics World Games Closing Ceremonies on ESPN3.com at 2 p.m. EST!

Here is a jaw-dropping photo of Opening Ceremonies:

An Inspiring Day: Softball and Football (Soccer)

patrickwixted — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 14:28:33 +0000

Check out this captivating recap of Special Olympics Team USA win gold in both softball and football (soccer). You can find it on the World of Special Olympics blog.

A Special Olympics Engagement!

patrickwixted — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 14:22:50 +0000

You hear about amazing stories of couples getting engaged all the time, right? Well check out this Special Olympics engagement story here!

Happy Fourth of July America!

patrickwixted — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 13:49:34 +0000

Help celebrate the Fourth of July by congratulating all of Special Olympics Team USA and their amazing effort at World Games!

This photo captures just a portion of the exuberance Team USA displayed this week:

Getting to Know the Healthy Athletes Program

patrickwixted — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 00:47:32 +0000

If you are ever having a bad day, all you need to do is read about or experience anything involving the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes program and it will turn your day around. Healthy Athletes will do that to you.

Healthy Athletes provides a variety of healthcare to Special Olympics athletes that for some, do not normally have exposure to this type of care and treatment. For 10-plus years, Special Olympics has been offering FREE health screenings and health information at local, regional and World Games. In the process, Special Olympics has become the largest global public health organization dedicated to serving people with intellectual disabilities.

At more than 1 million screenings in more than 100 countries, volunteer health professionals have brought free preventative medicine and care to athletes in dire need of basic checkups, and sometimes more.

And the stories that have come out of this program will blow your mind. I’ve heard stories of athletes walking in nearly blind leaving with glasses. Imagine how much your world improves if you can see after only knowing bad vision your whole life? I’ve also heard of disease and infection being discovered and saving athletes lives. Or the story of an athlete who had a mouth infection that was treated and went from hardly being able to speak to giving speeches to roomfuls of people. Just check out this story of a Moroccan swimmer.

Healthy Athletes currently offers health screenings in seven areas: Fit Feet (podiatry), FUNfitness (physical therapy), Health Promotion (better health and well-being), Healthy Hearing (audiology), MedFest (sports physical exam), Opening Eyes (vision) and Special Smiles (dentistry).

Change Thru Sport received a tour of Healthy Athletes World Games Athens, Greece this week and also talked to Karl Hejlik, Senior Manager, Health and Research Communications: