Who Is Pita Taufatofua? Tonga Flag Bearer Is Back And Shirtless

The Olympics have a way of bringing people around the world together to celebrate athletes. During the Rio de Janeiro Summer Games in 2016, one athlete got the attention of millions just by entering the stadium for the Opening Ceremony. While Pita Taufatofua of Tonga carried his country’s flag into the ceremony, he was becoming an instant sensation online.

The taekwondo competitor became an instant star during those games and this year he’s back, this time competing in cross-country skiing. The oiled up winter and summer Olympian made another appearance during the Opening Ceremony for the Winter Games this year, shirtless again despite sub-freezing temperatures.

The oil he’s worn at both Opening Ceremonies actually has cultural significance. After his first appearance in Rio he posted to Facebook to explain that the oil is “An integral part of indigenous Oceanian body adornment.” The oil is traditionally mixed with fragrant plants from the performer’s “place of ancestral origin,” he wrote, so in his case, the oil was a connection between him and his country.

The Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea had mostly concluded by the time anyone in the United States woke up Friday morning. In the U.S. it will air at 8 p.m. ET due to the 13 to 16 hour time difference from South Korea. But everyone woke up to the news that Taufatofua proudly carried Tonga’s flag once again.

The 34-year-old will be only the second athlete from Tonga to participate in the Winter Games and as the sole athlete from the country this year was automatically made the flag bearer. He chose cross-country skiing because it was one of the hardest sports he could think of to participate in during the Winter Games.

Taufatofua didn’t win any medals during the 2016 Games but even if he doesn’t win any during the Winter Games, he’s still earned a spot in viewers’ hearts as the greatest flag bearer.