Fresh off another solid baseball season, Duncan athlete Declan Forcier has little time to rest. The 11-year-old has been named as one of just 46 athletes who will compete for Team Canada at the eighth annual World Dwarf Games July 28-Aug. 5 in Cologne, Germany.
Here at home, he competes with his average-height peers in hockey with Cowichan Valley Minor Hockey Association, and baseball with the Duncan Junior Baseball Association.
A fan and lover of sports in general, Forcier enjoys playing every sport he tries so it came as no surprise to anyone that he will be participating in track and field, soccer and basketball at the WDG.
Forcier, who was born with achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism, is the only British Columbian athlete on Team Canada.
He’s very excited for the opportunity to play with athletes of similar stature — at eye level.
He’s most pumped about participating in track and field “because his sister is a track and field athlete, so he’s attended many track meets over the years and is super excited to compete against people his own size,” said his mom Tammy Isaachsen. Both Forcier’s mom and sister will get to watch him live in person as the trio couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make their first trip to Europe together.
“He is very much looking forward to seeing a new part of the world, competing against people from different countries, and meeting new friends. It will be his first big international trip,” Isaachsen added. “He has also been working at learning some German words, and is excited to do some sightseeing while we’re there.”
Held every four years, the World Dwarf Games is a multi-sport event that allows little people to compete at an international level against their peers.
According to the International Dwarf Sports Federation, “Athletes of all ages and every level of ability will be encouraged to participate in team and individual sports and explore their own athletic abilities with others of similar stature.
“Participants also participate in special events to celebrate international understanding, promote awareness of the dwarf experience worldwide, provide on-site clinics for athletes and sports professionals and introduce participants to elite athletes with dwarfism, many of whom have participated in international competitions such as the Parapan Am Games and Paralympics.”
