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Pita Taufatofua, also known as the shirtless Tongan, served as an Olympic Flagbearer and "messenger of peace" during the 2026 Olympic opening ceremony on Feb. 6. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Gregory Shamus via Getty Images
It just wouldn't be the Olympics without Pita Taufatofua, also known as the shirtless Tongan.
Taufatofua was announced as a flagbearer ahead of Friday's Opening Ceremony for the Milan Cortina Olympics, and he appeared near the end of the night carrying the Olympic flag as a "messenger of peace," alongside Tadatoshi Akiba, Rebeca Andrade, Maryam Bukar Hassan, Nicolo Govoni, Filippo Grandi, Eliud Kipchoge and Cindy Ngamba.
One of a small group of athletes who have competed in both the Summer and Winter Olympics, Taufatofua first arrived on the scene during the Opening Ceremony of the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, wearing nothing but a taʻovala, a traditional Tongan dress made of a mat wrapped around the waist. Taufatofua was ultimately eliminated in the first round of the taekwondo competition.
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Tongan Flag-bearer Pita Taufatofua waves his country's flag as he walks with his team into the stadium during the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games. (Photo by Angelika Warmuth/picture alliance via Getty Images)
picture alliance via Getty Images
At the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, Taufatofua was back, this time as a freestyle skier, and the freezing temperatures couldn't keep him from wearing the taʻovala again. In the 15km freestyle ski race, he placed 114th out of 119.
nTaufatofua made a third appearance i the 2020 Olympics, this time alongside Malia Paseka, a fellow taekwondo athlete.
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Flag bearers Malia Paseka and Pita Taufatofua of Team Tonga lead their team out during the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on July 23, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Jamie Squire via Getty Images
While Taufatofua didn't carry a flag for the 2022 or 2024 Olympics, he did take part in the torch relay for the Paris Games. Per his Instagram account, Taufatofua is a motivational speaker and author.
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