GIRL POWER. Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz in action during the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia last August. (Contributed photo)
MANILA -- The Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas (Philippine Weightlifting Association) will hold its National Open Championships from Dec. 7-14 at the SM Mall in Cebu City.
In a statement issued on Friday, SWP president Monico Puentevella said that the 6-in-1 tournament will serve as tryouts for athletes who will represent the country in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, World Championships in Pattaya, Thailand and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman William "Butch" Ramirez and commissioner Ramon Fernandez will be the guests of honor during the opening ceremony at 11 a.m. on Sunday (December 9).
Hidilyn Diaz, the 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist, and other national athletes, including Rio Olympian and 2015 Asian Championships gold medalist Nestor Colonia, are joining the competition which will see the return of the masters’ event.
The SWP National Open Championships is sponsored by the PSC with support from SM Malls, Ayala Land Inc., CebuPac, and MVP Sports Foundation, which recently donated a set of barbells to the weightlifting association. (PNA)
