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SPECIAL Olympics Zimbabwe hosted the inaugural medical festival in the country at Prince Edward High School on Saturday.
Nearly 200 athletes of all ages came for the medical festival where a team of volunteers, doctors and nurses, helped to detect some medical conditions that the athletes could have been unaware of.
Takawira Mubako, a medical doctor and former basketball player, led the medical team at the free medical festival which received support from the Lions Club of Harare, Special Olympics Zimbabwe, Prince Edward, Essilor and Safilo.
“This is our first medical festival where we had a mass screening of athletes with intellectual disabilities.
“Many individuals who have different learning and developmental disabilities and want to become special athletes came around for the free clinic.
“We are trying to overcome their disabilities and encourage the athletes to participate in sport. We started by the general medical screening where we looked at the whole body.
“Then we had one station led by Dr Chinogureyi where we looked at the eyes.
“Some of the athletes from schools like St Catherine’s, Epworth, Prince Edward, Mufakose and St Giles received free spectacles sourced from Special Olympics International.
“So we wanted to assist the athletes by making sure that they are safe to participate in some types of sports,” said Mubako
The medical festival came just a few days after Special Olympic Zimbabwe rolled out the second phase of the Mattel Young Athletes and Families Programme in Chitungwiza.
Online Reporter