Healthy Hearing

Shouts from competitors, instructions from trainers, the starting gun or referee’s whistle – athletes hearing none of this, or with only partial hearing, are seriously handicapped in their bid for sporting success. Anyone failing to hear the encouraging cheers and applause from the crowd loses motivation more quickly, finding it more difficult to fulfil their athletic potential. The ability to hear clearly is thus not only important in everyday life, but also in sport. As hearing problems occur significantly more often in people with mental impairment than in other sections of the population, the Healthy Hearing programme forms a central element of the seven-part health route for healthy athletes.

Dress rehearsal at the Pre-Games

January 2016 saw the so-called Pre-Games taking place in Graz, Schladming and Ramsau, a dress rehearsal for the Special Olympics. Many athletes from all over the world took part and were given the opportunity to undergo a thorough hearing check in the Institute of Logopedics practice rooms and audiometric chamber at FH JOANNEUM. The equipment and materials for these examinations were provided by the company Neuroth.

Up to 3,000 athletes from various nations are expected to take part in the World Winter Games in 2017. The Healthy Athletes programme check-ups and the Healthy Hearing programme itself will be carried out in the Stadthalle in Graz. The Healthy Hearing programme team is composed of specialist physicians, experienced speech therapists and students on the Logopedics programme. The examinations are designed to detect any hearing problems, advise the athletes and their trainers on therapies and, where necessary, to provide appropriate aids free of charge. Only once an existing hearing problem has been recognised is it possible to successfully compensate for the lack of hearing, thereby contributing to full participation in general social life as well as sporting success in the World Winter Games.