Free hearing care will be available for athletes competing in the Special Olympics Winter Games being held this week and next in South Korea.
PYEONGCHANG, SOUTH KOREA—When the Special Olympics Winter Games open here on Tuesday, January 29, many of the 2100 competitors from over 100 nations will be wearing hearing aids provided to them free by the Hear the World Foundation.
Almost a quarter of the athletes who participate in the Special Olympics have hearing loss. However, a great many of them do not wear hearing aids because they can’t afford them or they lack access to the necessary medical and audiological care in their home countries.
In response to this situation, the Special Olympics Healthy Hearing Program is offering the athletes comprehensive hearing screenings to the Special Olympians gathered in Pyeongchang through February 5. As an official Healthy Hearing sponsor and a partner in the Special Olympics, Hear the World is supporting this program by providing expertise on site by qualified employees from the local Phonak subsidiary. The foundation is also donating Phonak hearing instruments and organizing free follow-up care in the athletes’ respective home countries.
Hear the World is an initiative of the Sonova Group, parent company of Phonak, Unitron, and several other hearing care companies. Its mission is to improve the quality of life and promote equal opportunities for people with hearing loss globally.
