In 1993 Arthur Dean a person with restricted growth took his daughter Nichola who also has restricted growth to Chicago to take part in the 1st World Dwarf Games hosted by the DAAA (Dwarf Athletic Association of America). Nichola being a very good swimmer came back with medals to her credit. Arthur and his daughter went to Chicago with four other Dwarf Athletes and members of their families and between them returned with 26 medals in total. On their return to this country Arthur discussed with the other athletes and their families the possibility of setting up an athletics association for dwarfs in this country. What they saw and felt whilst in the States was something they had not come across before. They saw for the first time that people of restricted growth were competing in sport on an equal level. In doing so their self-esteem was lifted and the people taking part gained a great sense of achievement. This idea was very well received and at the RGA convention in the October of that year the Dwarf Athletic Association UK was formed. It was then registered as a Charity the following year.

Fatima Whitbread kindly agreed to be our Patron and has lent her support and guidance to us each year and for that we are very grateful.

From these humble beginnings the association has grown from strength to strength holding a national games each year. At our national games we have athletes from 2 to 70 years old taking part and each year the number of people taking part has grown and grown. In 1995 the association invited people from overseas to take part in our first international event as a prequel to hosting the 2nd World Dwarf Games in 1997. Ten Countries from around the world attended this event. In 2001 102 people, of which 58 were dwarf athletes, went to Toronto, Canada to take part in the 3rd World Dwarf Games again hosted by the DAAA. At these Games the athletes were able to defend or even better their records set at previous games. These people competed with athletes from at least 10 countries from around the world. The competition was hard and very well fought.

At each of these events the times, distances and records have been logged and recorded so that we can say to world we can do it. We strive in life to be taken seriously and particularly in sport so much so that we now have people with a growth restriction being put forward to take part in the 2004 Paralympics in Athens. In May 2003 we saw the DAAUK host their 10th Anniversary games taking place in Birmingham, with the track and field events taking place at the Alexander Stadium. There were 99 athletes from all over the UK and Europe taking part in this event. Later that year we saw the weekend of Boccia, a game of skill for people of all ages and abilities. This game comes from Italy and is very similar to the game of boule in France, but is played with leather balls indoors on carpet or wood floors.

The DAAUK hosted the 11th annual National and Open Games in Birmingham in May 2004, and then in 2005 the DAAUK took 55 athletes across to Rambouilet in France to attend the 4th World Dwarf Games hosted by French Dwarf Athletics Association in July. The DAAUK team were the highest medal winners bringing a total of 322 medals back to their country. In 2006 the DAAUK hosted the 13th Annual Games once again in Birmingham and in the August the new region of DAA Northern Ireland hosted the 1st European Games in Belfast. The DAA NI will be hosting the 5th World Dwarf Games in 2009.

Every year our May National Open Games grows in numbers and every year records are broken and personal bests attained. The National Games are now IPC sanctioned meaning athletes are competeing for world ranking positions and qualifying for European and World events. There are many up and coming athletes within the DAAUK and every year they improove and increase in numbers.

We are now being recognised by the National Sporting bodies as an individual disability group.

Arthur Dean
(DAAA, = Dwarf Athletic Association of America)
(RGA, = Restricted Growth Association)