Podiatrist Georgia Liopetriti was part of the Cypriot delegation of Special Olympics 2014 in Antwerp (Belgium Special Olympics European Summer Games – Antwerp 2014), where she took part in the “Healthy Athletes” program during the games in Belgium on the 9th – 20th of September and gained the Clinical Director title.

Since then, she has been the Clinical Director for the Fit Feet Program for Special Olympics Cyprus.

She is managing the Fit Feet program in Cyprus on behalf of SO Cyprus and, together with a team of volunteer Podiatrists, offers free podiatry examinations to all Cypriot and visiting athletes during the annual Pancyprian Special Olympics Games.

What is the Healthy Athletes program?

The Special Olympics’ “Health Athletes” program offers a series of free medical examinations and services during the official game events of Special Olympics. The program is implemented exclusively by volunteer medical and health care professionals.

What kind of examinations does this program include?

The Healthy Athletes program offers a variety of free examinations by medical professionals, such as:

Dental examinations and preventive education for dental health in athletes undertaken by Dentists.

Podiatry examinations of legs and joints of athletes to check for deformation and stiffness, advise on appropriate shoes and socks and foot hygiene undertaken by Podiatrists.

Comprehensive eye examinations and provision of free eyeglasses to athletes undertaken by opticians, optometrists and ophthalmologists.

General hearing examinations and more specialized tests for athletes who have been diagnosed with a special need. There is also the option of free special acoustic devices or other hearing aids. This is undertaken by audiologists and ENT doctors.

Physiotherapists provide education and advice to athletes and coaches on how to train and compete safely.

Dietitians, nutritionists and other health professionals educate athletes on good eating habits, safety from ultraviolet rays, bone health etc.

The Healthy Athletes program is designed to help Special Olympics athletes improve their health and physical condition, giving them free access to testing and preventive education, while facilitating the work of family doctors providing information through the valuable experience of managing 700 thousand athletes from all over the world.