Aviles moves to the final station of the Special Smiles program at the 2001 World Winter Games. A woman places a green mouth guard under his teeth, making a funny face to show him how to bite down and fit it to his mouth. His teammates laugh, and Aviles joins in. The Special Olympics have provided this and several other Healthy Athletes programs for almost a decade because many athletes don't fare as well as Aviles. On Thursday, the Special Smiles portion of the program checked the teeth of more than 100 athletes.
Similar statistics prevail for other health problems.
At the 1999 Summer World Games in North Carolina, more than 50 percent of the U.S. athletes were overweight. About 20 percent of athletes from foreign countries weighed too much. Almost one-fourth of the athletes screened at past Special Olympics competitions failed hearing tests, said Stephen Corbin of Washington, D.C., who's overseeing the Healthy Athletes program. The goal of Healthy Athletes programs at city, state and even world Games is to meet the neglected health needs of Special Olympic athletes who might have inadequate care in their countries. Physicians of all types try to provide care in a relaxed, entertaining environment.