Steven Cotoia returns a serve during table tennis competition at the 2013 World Dwarf Games in East Lansing, Mich. The quadrennial multisport competition for dwarf athletes features more than 500 athletes from 25 nations. Dwarfism is defined as an adult height of 5 feet for those with a disproportionate dysplasia, and 4-foot-10 for those with a proportionate short stature due to medical reasons.EAST LANSING, Mich. – Riley Windeler stepped on to the stand, bowed his head and smiled from ear-to-ear as a bronze medal was placed around his neck.
The 23-year-old university student from Horsefly, British Columbia, was proud of having captained the Canadian volleyball team to a third-place finish.
But for Windeler and hundreds of athletes competing this week at the World Dwarf Games on the campus of Michigan State University, the Games are as much about inclusion and fellowship as they are athletics and competition.
“It’s amazing. You don’t get to be around little people” in this way, said Windeler, who led his team to a 25-3, 25-15 victory over a team comprised of athletes from various nations. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
The Games, which conclude Saturday with the basketball finals at the Breslin Center followed by closing ceremonies, are held every four years. This year’s sixth installment is the largest ever and includes more than 400 athletes — slightly more than two-thirds are male — from 23 nations and every U.S. state taking part.