Brandon Vanderlinden says, “We’re going to show those haters they’re wrong.
This month, the eighth World Dwarf Games will be held in Cologne, Germany. Two brothers from Edmonton will be there to compete with each other.
Brandon and Jared Vanderlinden, who are twins and 19 years old, are going to the event for the first time to represent Alberta. They were born with a form of shortness called achondroplasia.
Brandon told CBC, “It’s an honor and it makes me feel like I’m a part of the world.”Edmonton AM“I get to do a very cool thing.”
He said that he wanted to be in the games so he could meet other people with dwarfism.
As kids, they were often picked on and couldn’t join in on a lot of group activities.
Brandon said, “We’re proving those who don’t like us wrong.” “It shows that even though we are small, we can still do anything.”
The two will compete in basketball, soccer, and table tennis. They are also known as the Dwarf Duo. For them, the games are a chance to work together as a group.
Jared said that it’s a lot of fun to take part in the games.
“We don’t really get to do this stuff very often, and I think this will be a big part of our lives,” he said.
The twins are making a documentary about their time at the games with their two older brothers, filmmakers Joshua and Benjamin Vanderlinden and co-founders of the video production company Story First.
Joshua wrote in an email that he and Benjamin are in a special place to tell the story of their younger brothers.
“We’ve seen them face problems that we didn’t have to deal with,” he said. “But seeing how being on team Canada has inspired them and given them a reason to live made us want to tell the whole world about it.”
Representing Alberta 
The World Dwarf Games are the biggest sporting event for people with dwarfism. Every four years, more than 500 athletes from over 20 countries come together to compete and raise awareness of dwarfism in a supportive environment.
The last event was in 2017, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it had to be moved.
This year, fifty Canadians are going to take part in the event.Joshua said that the twins are the only people who can speak for Alberta.
At the World Dwarf Games, athletes will compete in basketball, archery, powerlifting, and volleyball, among other sports.
Joshua said that the twins play basketball with people who are much taller than them every week.
“They might not say it out loud, but they miss three-point shots a lot,” he said.
From July 28 to August 5, there are games.