Scotland's Dwarf Sports Association squad aiming for gold at National Games

Scotland’s Dwarf Sports Association (DSA) team is hoping to take home gold at this year’s national games in Birmingham.

The 22-strong team – which is celebrating its 10th anniversary – will travel south at the end of the month to compete with over 200 athletes from across the country.

Lewis Carson, 13, says it’s an opportunity to compete on an even playing field.

The badminton player from Hamilton said: “It’s so equal and inclusive because everybody’s got the same condition as you.

“Instead of going to school and playing sports where it’s a running race and you come last, you could come top three or something and there’s a good chance you will.”

Lewis Carson is looking forward to going for gold in badminton at the Games. STV News

When Emma Rob, 15, first joined Scotland’s Dwarf Sports Association eight years ago, it was the first time she had met another person – let alone a whole group of people – with Dwarfism.

Emma said: “I’d never really met anybody who was small, so when I first joined it was snowboarding and I walked into the room and went ‘oh, oh you’re all small’ – but then I realised that everyone was the same.

“You just felt like you belonged because everyone tells you ‘don’t’, and you feel like it, so when you go to these kind of things, you feel like you’ve finally found your people.

“I realised I’m not alone in the world, I’ve got people.”

The team travel from all over Scotland to train and the experience has been life-changing for many of the younger athletes, particularly six-year-old Callum Holmes.

His mum Roslyn said: “He’s a very, very shy boy and then we made the trip down to the National Games last year and it just totally opened up his world.

“He’s a completely different boy, he loves taking part in everything.

“In the car home from the games he just said ‘everybody was like me’, so it’s almost like he just felt he belonged.”

The club has been transformational for Callum Holmes. STV News

Scottish regional leader Hailey Davidson says the games are not just about the sport but the support the athletes receive.

She said: “It’s one weekend where we all meet up, nobody’s looking at you, nobody’s staring, nobody’s making comments and you’re together, you’re able to meet up with friends, make new friends and it’s a really good community to be involved with.

“For a lot of these kids, they’ve not met so many people with dwarfism. I mean, this year we have 217 entries to the national games, so that’s being able to compete on an even playing field.

“They know that they can try their best and they’ve got an opportunity, they’ve got a chance and whether they come home with a medal or not, they can come home proud.”