Felix O. Tiukinhoy Jr.
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Ensuring the sustainability of its grassroots development program tops this year’s priorities of Felix “Boy” Tiukinhoy, president of the Cebu Weightlifting Association, Inc. (CWAI).
“This will be the third year of its existence, I hope that we will be able to find a godfather to sustain the grassroots of weightlifting, to buy more equipment,” Tiukinhoy told CDN Digital.
The CWAI started its grassroots development program at the Sisters of Mary School (SMS) Boystown in Barangay Tungkop, Minglanilla in 2018 and has already produced three gold medalists in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) weightlifting competition last year.
Tiukinhoy wants to duplicate the CWAI grassroots development program at the SMS Girlstown in Talisay this year.
After all, weightlifting’s first medal, a silver, in the 2016 Olympics that was held in Rio de Janeiro was bagged by a Filipina—Hidilyn Diaz.
Diaz was also present during the launch of CWAI’s grassroots program at the SMS Boystown back in 2018.
In line with sustaining the CWAI’s grassroots development, Tiukinhoy is mulling at having a seminar for coaches and athletes alike to be conducted by an international coach.
Lastly, Tiukinhoy also wants to organize at least two weightlifting competitions here in Cebu as all the training programs that they have will be for naught if they do not have a competition to test their wares, even if it will just be a local competition. / dcb