Hidilyn Diaz’s tours of Philippine duty won’t be ending soon, but she can’t commit to the next Olympics yet. —FRANCIS T. J. OCHOA
MANILA, Philippines – Hidilyn Diaz is immortalized once again in the country’s sporting lore after the Philippine Sports Commission renames a weightlifting gym for the Tokyo Olympic gold medalist.
At the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, the national team’s training gym will now be named Hidilyn Diaz Weightlifting Gym, and other practice venues will also bear the names of Philippine Sports Hall of Famers.
“Most of the sports heroes to be honored with this development are enshrined Philippine Sports Hall of Famers, with the exception of Hidilyn Diaz whose indelible mark in Philippine sports history as the first Olympic gold medalist makes it a no-brainer to name the weightlifting gym at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex as Hidilyn Diaz Weightlifting Gym,” said the PSC in a statement Thursday.
The Rizal Memorial Tennis Court will be renamed the Felicisimo Ampon Tennis Court after the Filipino legend who won 25 career titles including championships in the gold medals in the Far Eastern Games, Pan American Games, and the Asian Games.
The RMSC Swimming Pool will be renamed as Teofilo Yldefonso Swimming Pool in honor of the Philippines’ first Olympic medalist who captured bronze honors in the 1928 and 1932 Summer Games.
Lastly, the RMSC Track Stadium will now be called Simeon Toribio Track Stadium in reverence to the high jumper who won bronze in 1932.
“These athletes have given the honor to the country with their work in sports, we hope to keep their legacies alive for this and next generations. We want to pique the interest of the people who will read about or visit the facility. Who is Teofilo Yldefonso? What did Felicisimo Ampon do that this venue is named to him?” said PSC Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez.
Other practice facilities will also be renamed in the future, the PSC said.