Tonga’s Shirtless Flag Bearer Rocks Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony, With 1 Difference

Tonga’s flag bearer Pita Taufatofua cemented his status as a firm fan favorite at the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony on Friday when he once again walked into the stadium shirtless and covered in oil.

Taufatofua, who is competing in the Taekwondo event, did the same at the Rio summer games in 2016 and at the winter games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, two years later.

This time around, though, there was one difference.

Taufatofua wore a mask, as did all athletes involved in the ceremony:

“The Usain Bolt of flag bearers”, says Bruce McAvaney 😅

Pita Taufatofua has a compelling story:

– Rio Olympian in 2016
– PyeongChang Winter Games in 2018
– Engineer by trade
– UNICEF ambassador

And now he’s ready to compete in taekwondo for Tonga in Tokyo #OpeningCeremonypic.twitter.com/K5GM6JKpSM

— 7Olympics (@7olympics) July 23, 2021