The Hear the World Foundation makes a successful contribution at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in South Korea.
Zug, Switzerland, February 14, 2013 – On February 5, the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea came to a celebratory end. Over the course of seven days, Pyeongchang played host to over 2,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities, who had come from 107 nations to take part in these winter games. During the Special Olympics World Winter Games, these athletes underwent a thorough health screening program, including an in depth hearing screening. The results revealed that 18.4 percent of all athletes tested were affected by hearing loss. The Hear the World Foundation donates high-quality Phonak hearing instruments to the participating athletes with aidable hearing loss and is arranging free follow-up care.
Established in 2006 by the Sonova Group, the leading Swiss manufacturer of innovative hearing care solutions, the Hear the World Foundation campaigns for a world where everyone has a chance to experience good hearing. Against this background, the foundation has entered a two year partnership supporting the Special Olympics Healthy Hearing Program.
Healthy Hearing Program: A South Korean athlete participating in hearing screening.
Hearing-healthcare for a medically underserved population
Almost a quarter of the participating athletes at Special Olympics are affected by hearing loss. Many of them do not wear a hearing instrument, because they cannot afford one and they do not have access to the necessary medical and audiological care in their home countries. The Special Olympics Healthy Hearing Program tackles this problem head on by offering the athletes comprehensive hearing screenings. This service is offered as part of the larger, multidisciplinary Healthy Athletes program, aimed at ensuring access to quality health services for all participating athletes. The Hear the World Foundation supports this program by donating high-quality Phonak hearing instruments to athletes with aidable hearing loss and organizing free follow-up care in the athletes’ respective home countries. Furthermore, local Phonak volunteers support Special Olympics on-site with their expertise.
Healthy Hearing results at a glance:
- 1,183 athletes aged between 8 and 64 years underwent a hearing screening.
- 218 athletes were diagnosed with hearing loss, which equates to 18.4 percent of the Special Olympics athletes.
- The Hear the World Foundation supplies high-quality Phonak hearing instruments to 55 athletes from 35 countries and is organizing follow-up care in their respective home countries. Three Korean athletes with hearing loss were fitted on site at the Healthy Hearing venue, while vouchers for hearing aid fittings, batteries and follow-up care were given out for the remaining athletes.
Athletets from Kenya at Special Olympics 2013 in South Korea in the Hear the World pose for conscious hearing.
“We are delighted to be able to help so many athletes improve their hearing and therefore greatly enhance their quality of life,” says Lukas Braunschweiler, CEO of Sonova Holding AG and President of the Hear the World Foundation.“ The Special Olympics are the world’s largest health program for people with intellectual disabilities. We are proud to be making a sustainable contribution to this program and thus supporting a medically underserved population”, Braunschweiler adds.
Various projects around the world
Since 2006, the Hear the World Foundation has supported over 45 projects on five continents and has already given hundreds of people with hearing loss the chance to enjoy a better quality of life.
Further information can be found at www.hear-the-world.com/foundation.
About the Hear the World Foundation
By supporting the charitable Hear the World Foundation, Sonova is campaigning for equal opportunities and a better quality of life for people with hearing loss. As a leading manufacturer of hearing systems, the company feels socially responsible for contributing towards a world where everyone has the chance to enjoy good hearing. For instance, the Hear the World Foundation supports disadvantaged people with hearing loss around the world and gets involved in prevention and providing information. It focuses particularly on projects for children with hearing loss, to enable them to develop at the appropriate rate for their age. More than 60 famous ambassadors, including celebrities such as Plácido Domingo, Annie Lennox, Sting and Joss Stone, champion the Hear the World Foundation. For further information, go to www.hear-the-world.com. Connect with us at https://www.facebook.com/CanYouHearTheWorld
About Special Olympics
Special Olympics is an international organization that changes lives by encouraging and empowering people with intellectual disabilities, promoting acceptance for all, and fostering communities of understanding and respect worldwide. Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the Special Olympics movement has grown from a few hundred athletes to nearly 3.5 million athletes in over 170 countries in all regions of the world, providing year-round sports training, athletic competition and other related programs. Special Olympics now takes place every day, changing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities in places like China and from regions like the Middle East to the community playgrounds and ball fields in every small neighborhood’s backyard. Special Olympics provides people with intellectual disabilities continuing opportunities to realize their potential, develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage and experience joy and friendship. Visit Special Olympics at www.specialolympics.org.
