Special Olympics BC Healthy Athletes screenings making a difference in 2025

Special Olympics BC's Healthy Athletes screenings for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are free, fun, and full of helpful health information!  

Healthy Athletes screenings are delivered by volunteer health professionals who offer a welcoming environment and are trained to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities uncover issues. Screenings are provided for fields such as general health and well-being, hearing, vision, dentistry, mental health, podiatry, physical therapy, and sports physical exams.   

At the Special Olympics BC Summer Games in Prince George, almost 400 Special Olympics BC athletes from across the province and individuals with intellectual disabilities from the surrounding area received 954 Healthy Athletes screenings. Over 100 valued volunteers made this initiative possible. 

Over the two days of screenings, approximately 1 in 4 people were referred to a doctor or medical professional.  

Fern Russell, coach and mother of a Special Olympics BC athlete, says the screenings have made a big difference in her son’s life. 

“As parents, we try to cover all those bases and make sure that our children are getting the attention that they need. But sometimes our eyes are so used to seeing something, it takes another set of eyes to recognize it,” Russell told CKPG Today. 

“In our case, it was a visit to the podiatrist, and it opened our eyes to: ‘wow, his toes shouldn’t look like that.’ Something as simple as that has made a big difference in his life.”  

Screenings were done across six disciplines:  

More than 100 pairs of prescription eyewear were distributed to athletes, including 30 pairs specifically designed for floorball, a new sport Special Olympics BC began offering in 2024-25. 

“We want to help athletes perform at their best,” optometrist and SOBC Games volunteer Dr. Brad McDougal told the Prince George Citizen.  

From the screenings, it was found that 75 per cent of athletes screened had untreated gait abnormalities. More than 67 per cent had skin or nail conditions on their feet, nearly 30 per cent had eye disease, and nearly 15 per cent required urgent dental referrals. Just over 20 per cent had mouth pain, missing teeth or foot deformities. 

All individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are invited to our next Healthy Athletes screenings, which will be in Cranbrook on Saturday, November 15, 2025. Stay tuned to Special Olympics BC’s website calendar for more details! 

Special Olympics BC’s health work is made possible by the ongoing support of our provincial partners and fundraising events, including the leading role of the Government of British Columbia and the Government of Canada. Special Olympics BC’s barrier-breaking initiatives are also supported by the Special Olympics International Health Impact Grant, with the help of the Golisano Foundation. The RBC Foundation supported Healthy Athletes screenings.