The Philippine Sports Commission has approved the renaming of selected sports facilities to sports heroes in honor of their unparalleled athletic achievements which has brought honor to the country.
More importantly, the next generation will have a chance to know the sports heroes of the past through this.
“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?” explained PSC Chairman William Ramirez.
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.
The PSC Board also approved the renaming of the Rizal Memorial Tennis Court to Felicisimo Ampon Tennis Court, RMSC Swimming Pool to Teofilo Yldefonso Swimming Pool, and the Rizal Memorial Track Stadium to Simeon Toribio Track Stadium.
Yldefonso won back-to-back Olympic bronzes in the men’s 200-meter breaststroke during the 1928 and 1932 Summer Games while Toribio also won bronze in 1932 in the men’s high jump event.
On the other hand, Ampon is considered the greatest tennis player the country has produced.
The originally named PSC Multi-Purpose Gym located in the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex was reverted back to its original title.
The PSC said this is just the first round of naming their venues to sports heroes.
Also on the horizon is the opening of a bigger, interactive and modern Philippine Sports Museum building to rise also in the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex which is part of the government’s Build, build, build program.
The present PSC museum which houses several memorabilia of a number of sports heroes will soon call this projected two-story building its new home soon.
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