LAOAG CITY – Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz is on a mission to make young Filipinos love and engage in sports, particularly weightlifting.

Diaz is touring Ilocos Norte to inspire and develop the next generation of athletes.

The country’s first Olympic gold medalist recently met with officials of the Department of Education to advocate weightlifting to be included as a regular event in the Palarong Pambansa, rather than just a demonstration sport.

"We really have to work on spreading the sport by having events and to have education for technical officials and coaches,” Diaz said in an interview on Friday, noting that the key to weightlifting education is to start from top to bottom.

She said only 10 regions and not all school divisions in the Philippines have weightlifting sports.

Determined to give back to the Filipino community, Diaz has volunteered to serve as the tournament director for weightlifting events once the sport is officially recognized as part of the Palaro.

“It is crucial to monitor the sport’s development, especially under the pressure to make weightlifting a household name,” she said in Filipino.

Diaz expressed hope that weightlifting would become the country’s source of gold medals in major international events.

Her commitment comes on the heels of her historic gold medal win at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, a milestone she believes would pave the way for more gold medals in future international competitions.

The province of Ilocos Norte is hosting this year's Palaro in May and Diaz took time to visit the world-class Ferdinand E. Marcos Sports Stadium where most of the game events will be held. (PNA)