PSC chair Butch Ramirez and Hidilyn Diaz with participants of the Mindanao Children’s Games. PHOTO by JUNE NAVARRO
DAVAO CITY—Olympic silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz started out young before she turned into a weightlifting icon for the Philippines more than a decade later.
Diaz’s story became an instant inspirational piece for the participants of the 2017 Mindanao Children’s Games that pushed through on Thursday despite the declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao.
“I have traveled in different countries and all over the Philippines, studied and earned a living because of sports,’’ Diaz told over 600 children at the Almendras Gym here, most of them out-of-school youths.
She started lifting those metal plates at 11, about the same age as the kids set to play in the Games designed for 12 years old and below.
Philippine Sports Commission chair Butch Ramirez said the raging armed conflict in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur between government forces and the Maute rebel group has emboldened him to push the Sports for Peace vehicle in Mindanao further.
Ramirez pointed out that getting these young kids into sports early would prepare them for bigger tournaments ahead like the Batang Pinoy Games, Palarong Pambansa and eventually in international meets while playing for the national team.
“But we’re not only expecting to get children into sports. We also want to mold them as responsible and well-rounded future leaders of our country,’’ said Ramirez.
“This is the real gold medal that we should be aiming for. Once we encourage kids to play here, their lives can change through sports,’’ he added.
Next stops for the Children’s Games in the coming weeks are Cagayan de Oro, Butuan City, Bacolod, Cebu, Tacloban and the Cordilleras, among others.
Ramirez said the Games, which aims to discover talented athletes on the barangay level, have been conceptualized to execute President Duterte’s marching order to make sports available to the youth.