LOS ANGELES (AP) -- They arrived in Los Angeles by the thousands to run, jump and swim and to play such team sports as soccer and softball.
This week, however, Special Olympics athletes from around the world also took part in what could be called the Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat events.
Tucked into a corner of the University of Southern California's sprawling campus was a makeshift medical clinic that seemingly sprouted overnight.
There, hundreds of doctors, dentists and other health care providers have been working to ensure thousands of athletes with intellectual disabilities don't go home until they've had head-to-toe checkups.
People who were in need of glasses, hearing aids, even root canals, have been getting them immediately.
For some, said Zabi Mansoory, the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes director, this was the first time they've seen a doctor.
(Copyright 2015 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
