In 2016, Hidilyn Diaz made history when she won the country’s first Olympic silver medal in the Rio Olympics for weightlifting.
Her difficult journey and steadfast determination to succeed and bring honor to the nation caught the attention of Resorts World Manila and the company named her as the first RWM Lucky Person of the Year during the 2017 People of the Year awards night of PeopleAsia Magazine.
Since then, RWM and Diaz have maintained a mutually supportive relationship, and through her, the company has been able to support other national athletes in the Philippine weightlifting team.
As a developing nation, support for sport tends to be a low priority for the Philippines, especially for non-spectator sports such as weightlifting where there are fewer sponsorship opportunities.
To help the Philippine weightlifting team train better and in comfort, Resorts World Manila has donated over 700 sweat-wicking, microfiber sports shirts which the company and Diaz turned over to the Philippine Air Force for distribution to the athletes around the country.
The shirts reached various sports clubs around the Philippines including Philippine Air Force Weightlifting in Pasay City, the University of the East in Quezon City, Pep Project Angono in Rizal Province, Cebu Team and Cebu Weightlifting Association in Cebu City, Guiwan Weightlifting, Talon-Talon Weightlifting, and Mampang Weightlifting Club, in Zamboanga City, Samjon Weightlifting Club in Tagbilaran City, Bohol Weightlifting Club, Midsalip Weightlifting Team in Zamboanga del Sur, and Madayaw Davao Weightlifting in Davao City.
For her part, Diaz is happy that her higher profile since winning Olympic silver has allowed her to raise awareness for her sport and help her teammates. She also continues to make her mark in sport and society, winning the Philippines’ first-ever Asian Games gold medal in Jakarta and being named as PeopleAsia’s People of the Year awardee for 2019 in a glittering ceremony held at the Marriott Grand Ballroom in RWM.
Visit www.rwmanila.com/csr to learn more about Resorts World Manila’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives.
