Palarong Pambansa will welcome back weightlifting as an exhibition sport in the 2025 edition hosted by Ilocos Norte.
Weightlifting will be back at the Palarong Pambansa, with the 2025 edition of the multi-sport event hosted by Ilocos Norte and will kick off this weekend.
After decades of absence due to controversy, the sport which gave the Philippines its first-ever gold medal in the Olympics will return as an exhibition sport in the competition slated to run from May 24 to June 2.
The Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas and Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz were among the ones to campaign greatly for the sport, which has churned out multiple Olympians, and medalists from the Philippines across various international tournaments.
As early 1948, the Philippines has sent weightlifters to compete in the Olympic Games, where men’s featherweight Rodrigo Del Rosario began a string of three consecutive appearances for Team Philippines.
Since then, the Philippines sent weightlifters for every edition of the Olympics until 1976, before the country participated in a boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
The Philippines would then again participate in 1988, before Diaz made her Olympic debut in Beijing in 2008.
Diaz has won both Olympic medals in weightlifting for the Philippines in its history — one silver during Rio 2016 and the once-elusive gold medal in Tokyo 2020.
A number of Filipina athletes have followed in Diaz’s footsteps since, with Elreen Ando and Vanessa Sarno becoming the country’s second and third female weightlifters at the Olympics in Paris 2024.
Despite missing out on a medal last year, the sport’s inclusion at the Palarong Pambansa should be pivotal in cultivating the next stars of the sport.
Weightlifting’s return coincides with Kickboxing also being played as an exhibition sport, and Dancesport as a demonstration sport.