Over the course of six days, 93 volunteers organized by Emperor’s College treated over 2,200 athletes at the 2015 Special Olympics World Games. It was the first time that Oriental medicine had been made available to the athletes of any Special Olympics World Games. By all accounts, it was an enormous success, providing highly sought after treatments to the athletes and providing a transformative opportunity for the students and alumni of Emperor’s College to treat people from across the globe in what was the largest sports and humanitarian event in the world in 2015.
OM wellness services were provided through the Healthy Athletes program and were the only complementary medicine services available to the athletes at the Games. Healthcare is a cornerstone of the Special Olympics movement and the Healthy Athletes program is the core of the healthcare efforts. Read more about the program in US News and World Report here.
OM services was a pilot program within Healthy Athletes and now the college along with the directors and organizers of the Healthy Athletes program will work to make it a permanent component of the health and wellness services offered to the athletes at all future Games. Emperor’s College is honored to have been asked to design and implement the pilot program for the Games.
Healthy Athletes by the Numbers:
- 5,100+ total athletes received screenings and treatments at the 2015 summer games
- 829 athletes received free prescription eyeglasses
- 192 received free hearing aids
- 5000+ athletes received free shoes
- 765 received free dental care
- 1000+ athletes received free OM treatments; over 2,200 total treatments were given.
Emperor’s College at the Games was featured in Acupuncture Today, the field’s leading publication. Read the article here: http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=33085
