A set of Edmonton twins is ready to be a triple threat on the world stage.
The World Dwarf Games stage, that is.
Brothers Brandon and Jared Vanderlinden are the lone Edmontonians among the 50 athletes Canada is sending to Cologne, Germany, to represent the country at the eighth edition of the international competition.
The 19-year-olds will compete in three sports for Canada: basketball, soccer and table tennis.
“I’ve been dreaming about this for a long time,” Jared told CTV News Edmonton. “I’m always like, ‘I’m watching the NBA on TV but you never see dwarfs play’ …
“It’s going to be weird because obviously I’ve never been to Europe before. It’s going to be awesome, I’m looking forward to it.”
Brandon is also looking forward to experiencing a new part of the world and connecting with other athletes like him.
“I don’t make many friends who are average height people because it’s a different combination, but being able to go around and meet others who are like me is awesome,” he said.
The family’s experience travelling to the Games, being held July 28 to Aug. 5, is being chronicled by the twins’ brother, Joshua. He’ll be producing a documentary about the trip.
“The idea is to show the obstacles that people face and how they’re able to overcome those despite your differences or circumstances,” Joshua said. “They’re little people, but they’re still able to compete on the world stage.”
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Marek Tkach
