Cebuana Olympian weightlifter Elreen Ando led the Oath of Sportsmanship in the SEA Games weightlifting qualifying competition at the UC weightlifting gym in downtown, Cebu City, in this CDN Digital file photo in 2022.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The weightlifting gym of the University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters, which also serves as the official headquarters of the Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas (SWP) Cebu, will finally get a much-needed renovation.
This was officially confirmed by UC Webmasters’ athletic director Jessica Honoridez who told CDN Digital.
The weightlifting gym is situated in downtown Cebu City, at the back of the Cebu Coliseum.
READ: Hidilyn Diaz, Ando won’t collide in National Weightlifting Championhips
Renovation
According to Honoridez, they’ve been seeing various sports facilities under UC’s fold for the past few months to see what improvements they can do.
The renovation at the UC weightlifting gym which is the home of Cebu’s lone weightlifting Olympian and Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) gold medalist Elreen Ando is currently underway.
It will primarily focus on elevating the flooring of the entire gym to prevent the floodwaters from coming in, especially during the rainy season.
READ: Hidilyn shares blessings to typhoon-affected weightlifters in Cebu
UC table tennis HQ
“Gamay nga renovation ra siya, pero at least ma hapsay na gyud ug ma improve na gyud ang condition sa gym. Mo flood man gud na diha nga part, at least ma elevate na siya ug dili na siya ma apektuhan inig uwan,” said Honoridez.
(It is just a small renovation, but at least, the place will be in order and improve the condition of the gym. It will flood here in this part, at least this will be elevated and this will be affected in the rain.)
Included in the renovation is UC’s table tennis headquarters which is adjacent to the weightlifting gym.
READ: Hidilyn Diaz vows to do everything to get another Olympic gold medal
UC gym renovation crucial
According to Honoridez, the renovation is crucial since most of the Webmasters’ teams and athletes train there, not just the Philippine weightlifting team members comprised of Ando, John Febuar Ceniza, John Dexter Tabique, and Fernando Agad to name a few.
“Sa ako-a lang pero maka witness jud ko nga grabe ka dedicated atong mga coaches ug grabe ilahang passion to train our weightlifters. So, para nako maka motivate ni nila ug samot ang atong pag pa renovate sa gym,” said Honoridez.
(For me, but I can witness that the coaches are so dedicated and their passion to train our weightlifters is really great. So, for me, renovating the gym, this can motivate them more.)
READ: Hidilyn Diaz places fourth in Asian Weightlifting Championships 2023
Flood hindrance to training
“Usa sa atong hindrance ang ma shorten ang practices tungod sa baha. Ang gym man gud sa weightlifting kay dili ra sa weightlifters, nag cross training sad ang uban nato nga sports. Halos tanan sports teams sa UC adto mag train. So dapat lang gyud ma renovate na ang gym.”
(One of our hindrances is that the practices will be shortened because of the flood. This is because our weightlifting gym is not only for weightlifters, those in other sports will cross train there. Almost all of our sports team in UC will train there. So it is a must to remove the gym.)
Despite the weightlifting gym’s size, it was able to host last year’s SWP SEA Games qualifying tournament.
READ: UC Webmasters hold basketball clinic for CICLs at Operation Second Chance Center