Shirtless Tonga Olympian Wins Olympic Opening Ceremony Again
The man knows how to make an entrance.
Pita Taufatofua, whose oiled torso wowed the world at the opening ceremony for the 2016 Summer Olympics, returned to the Olympic stage in the same fashion at Friday’s opening ceremony for the Winter Games.
It was below freezing in Pyeongchang, South Korea, as Taufatofua strutted through the stadium like it was, well, a day at the beach.
Taufatofua made these Games as a cross-country skier by qualifying in mostly dry-land roller events. He’s not a contender ― just as he wasn’t when he lost in the first round in taekwondo in Rio ― but, man, he just struck gold in the kick-off event again.
The dude was resplendent. Twitter loved him, too.
I salute you, Tonga pic.twitter.com/8ICNmDK0m0
— Sam Kim (@samkimasia) February 9, 2018
Bermuda: Its not that cold. We can wear shorts.
Tonga guy: Hold my beer#OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/i4z8Btrvdm— Nick Murray (@NickMurray91) February 9, 2018
Tonga! Immune to the cold. #Pyeongchang2018 #Olympics pic.twitter.com/JX6PYINg0C
— Jean H. Lee (@newsjean) February 9, 2018
No shoes, no shirt, no problem.
Pita Taufatofua, Tonga's flag-bearer and only Olympic athlete is ready for #PyeongChang2018 pic.twitter.com/ZchGQwbfzX— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 9, 2018
Related Coverage
South Korea's Olympic Stadium Will Host Just 4 Events Before It's Torn Down
Athletes To Watch At The 2018 Winter Olympics In Pyeongchang
This Winter Olympics Walkie-Talkie Save Is Comedy Gold
Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
