Shirtless Tongan returns to Olympics

Pita Taufatofua, known throughout the world as the shirtless, oiled Tongan flagbearer, is making yet another trip to the Olympics, where he figures to be a viral sensation again during the parade of nations at the Tokyo Games opening ceremonies.

Taufatofua, who drew attention for baring his buff, well-lubricated chest as he marched proudly in native dress at the previous two Olympics, secured his third Olympics berth in a taekwondo qualifying event in Australia, beating Papua New Guinea’s Steven Tommy.

“Looks like we’re going to need more coconut oil,” Taufatofua joked proudly on Instagram.

But there’s more to Taufatofua, who first became a sensation when he carried the South Pacific island nation’s flag during the opening ceremonies for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

He made a repeat appearance at the 2018 Winter Olympics, where he competed in cross-country skiing, in Pyeongchang, defying freezing temperatures to again carry the flag while shirtless.

He was only the second Winter Olympian from Tonga and had not experienced snow until two years before the Games in South Korea.

Offers of modelling and movie jobs poured in, and agents advised him to change his name. His response? He changed agents.

“The truth isn’t glamorous, it isn’t shiny,” he wrote on social media during his previous brush with celebrity. “The truth is that I have had more injuries than I can count, that I have lost more matches than I have won, that I have gone through massive financial hardship and lost very close relationships in pursuit of the dream.

“What I pride myself in is not my skill in my craft . ... What I pride myself in is that I do not quit, I do not stop!”