Weightlifting is set to make a long-awaited comeback at the Palarong Pambansa, with the 2025 edition of the multi-sport event kicking off this weekend in Ilocos Norte.
The sport, which brought the Philippines its first Olympic gold medal, returns as an exhibition event after being absent for decades due to controversy. The competition will run from May 24 to June 2.
The revival of weightlifting was pushed strongly by the Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas and Olympic champion Hidilyn Diaz. Both have played key roles in promoting the sport, which has produced several Olympians and international medalists for the country.
The Philippines first sent weightlifters to the Olympics in 1948, when Rodrigo Del Rosario competed in the men’s featherweight division. He went on to appear in three consecutive Olympic Games, starting a proud tradition in the sport.
From 1948 to 1976, Filipino weightlifters competed in every Olympic edition until the country joined the boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics. The Philippines returned to the Games in 1988, and Hidilyn Diaz made her debut two decades later in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Diaz remains the only Filipino to win Olympic medals in weightlifting. She earned a silver medal in Rio 2016 and captured the country’s first-ever Olympic gold in Tokyo 2020.
Her success has inspired a new generation of female lifters. Elreen Ando and Vanessa Sarno will become the second and third Filipina weightlifters to compete in the Olympics when they represent the Philippines in Paris 2024.
Although the country did not win a medal in weightlifting last year, the sport’s inclusion in the Palarong Pambansa is seen as a key step in discovering and developing new talent.
Weightlifting’s return coincides with the inclusion of Kickboxing, also set as an exhibition sport, while Dancesport will be featured as a demonstration event.
