National Sports Museum honors Filipino Paralympians

MANILA, Philippines — The National Sports Museum showcases the Philippines' historic milestones, including the legendary feats of Hidilyn Diaz, Manny Pacquiao and Carlos Yulo—and has now inaugurated a dedicated space honoring the country’s finest Paralympians.

In the 2026 Women With Disabilities Day, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) honored the legacy of the two Filipino Paralympians, who took home a medal for the country: Adeline Dumapong-Ancheta and the late Josephine R. Medina at the National Sports Museum, PhilSport Complex in Pasig City on Monday morning.

Dumapong-Ancheta, the first-ever Filipina to win a Paralympic medal when she won bronze at the 2000 Summer Paralympic in Sydney, was emotional during the unveiling ceremony.

“The truth is, we often forget Paralympians by having this space dedicated to Paralympics [is huge]. When people visit and roam around on this area they will remember that we Paralympians. I hope one day, we are just not an afterthought, that during the Olympics, there’s also Paralympics,” the retired powerlifter shared.

Dumapong-Ancheta did not have a second thought in donating her medal and her uniform to the museum.

“They first told me to borrow and create a replica of the medal, but I said that I could give the original one to them. It was not hard for me to let go of the medal, because the medal is not just for me, but it’s for the country, it’s for the marginalized, and it’s for what I stand for,” she added.

Behind the glass panel is Dumapong-Ancheta’s uniform, medal, and ID during the Sydney Paralympics, with her photo at the center.

During the event, Medina, table tennis 2016 Rio Paralympics, was also remembered for taking home the second bronze medal for the nation.

The Philippine Paralympics only had two medals in history, and those two medals came from women.

For Dumapong-Ancheta, the move of being included in the sports museum is one step forward for the Filipinos.

“There’s hope for the Filipinos. There’s hope for the Filipinos to recognize equality. This is a story of inclusion. I am very emotional to see the athletes that we have right now. I share the joy of witnessing that they’re living well, compared to what I have been through before.”

Click here to read article