The Philippine Sports Commission has approved the renaming of selected sports facilities it manages after sports heroes in honor of their unparalleled athletic achievements, while deciding to give the Ninoy Aquino Stadium its old name back, the Philippine Sports Commission Multi-Purpose Gym.
For instance, the PSC’s weightlifting gym will now be named the Hidilyn Diaz Weightlifting Gym, named after the Filipina lifter who made her mark in Philippine sports history as its first Olympic gold medalist during the recent Tokyo Games.
The board also approved the renaming of the Rizal Memorial Tennis Court into the Felicisimo Ampon Tennis Court, the swimming pool area into the Teofilo Yldefonso Swimming Pool, and the Rizal Memorial Track Stadium into the Simeon Toribio Track Stadium.
“These athletes have given 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 Ramirez.
Meanwhile, the agency is planning to put a statue or a marker to commemorate the achievements of Diaz.
Commissioner Ramon Fernandez said they plan to do this at the soonest time possible.
For now, the PSC is thinking this over, taking into consideration on what would be an appropriate medium to honor the 30-year old Olympian.
“It’s not final yet. It could be a statue or just a marker in front of the gymnasium. We’ll see what’s appropriate,” said Fernandez.
