The Philippine Sports Commission, in partnership with the Department of Education and Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz, will launch the country’s biggest weightlifting academy.

The project aims to strengthen school-based sports, one of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive during his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA).

In a recent meeting with PSC Chairperson Patrick Gregorio, DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara said at least 300 schools nationwide offer a specialized sports curriculum, giving student-athletes more time for training and physical development.

Both Angara and Gregorio emphasized that weight training and weightlifting should serve as the backbone of the program, powering the engine of sports-focused education.

Diaz, who put up an academy in Jala-Jala, Rizal after winning the country’s first Olympic gold medal in 2021, will help in developing future champions.

“The core requirement for any sport is weightlifting. But you can’t just donate equipment without teaching student-athletes how to use it properly and avoid injuries. Someone has to teach them the fundamentals,” Gregorio said in a news release Saturday.

“You need a champion, an icon, to drive this plan. You need Hidilyn Diaz and her academy to replicate the program in each of the 300 schools,” he added.

Angara said Diaz has been helping raise the next generation of athletes.

“We are bringing President Bongbong Marcos’ vision to life,” he said.

Meanwhile, Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman has expressed her full support to the initiative.

“For this project to materialize, we understand that the government should also provide the necessary funding,” Pangandaman said in another statement.

“Suportado po ni Pangulong Bongbong Marcos ang anumang hakbangin upang mapaunlad ang larangan ng sports sa bansa. Sinabi niya po ‘yan sa kanyang SONA, kaya kami po, sa DBM, asahan n’yo pong nakasuporta at handang umagapay sa ating mga atleta para tugunan ang mga pangangailangan nila, kagaya po ng pagpapatayo ng weightlifting academy na ito (President Bongbong Marcos supports any initiative to develop the field of sports in the country. He said so in his SONA, so you can expect us, at the DBM, to be supportive and ready to support our athletes to meet their needs, such as the establishment of this weightlifting academy),” she added.

The DBM will allocate PHP180 million for the project.

The PSC, DepEd and Diaz will sign an agreement after the list of participating schools is finalized.

To kickstart the program, the PSC will donate weightlifting equipment to each school and will seek support from private sponsors and sports foundations for additional gear.

“Before implementation, we’ll organize a summit for weightlifting coaches. After that, we’ll donate the equipment. It’s easy to install, all you need is space. The PSC will allocate funds to make this happen,” Gregorio said.

“The result is a nationwide PSC-DepEd-Hidilyn Diaz Weightlifting Academy.” (PNA)