 Taufatofua at the 2016 Summer Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Pita Nikolas Taufatofua | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Nicknames | Tonga Flag Bearer | ||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | Tonga | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Citizenship | Tongan | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 5 November 1983 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Tonga Side School Tonga High School Saint Peter's Lutheran College | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 3+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 100 kg (220 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Taekwondo Cross-country skiing Canoe | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Vasini Piu Paul Sitapa (Both for Taekwondo)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Pita Nikolas Taufatofua (born 5 November 1983) is a Tongan athlete in taekwondo, cross-country skiing, and canoe. He is also a UNICEF ambassador and motivational speaker and lives in Brisbane, Australia.[2][3]
Taufatofua became internationally famous after appearing in a traditional Tongan taʻovala wrapped around his waist, with his chest bared and oiled, as Tonga's flagbearer in the 2016 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[4] He went on to reprise his role as flagbearer for the 2018 Winter Olympics and the 2020 Summer Olympics.
- ^ "Pita Nikolas Taufatofua". NBC Olympics. Archived from the original on 23 August 2016.
- ^ Rogers, Martin; Wolken, Dan (5 August 2016). "Introducing the Tonga flagbearer who glistened during Rio Olympic opening ceremony". USA Today. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
- ^ Palazzo, Chiara (6 August 2016). "Opening Ceremony: Who is Tonga's bare-chested flag bearer?". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
- ^ Chenery, Susan (1 January 2019). "The incredible story of Pita Taufatofua, Tonga's shirtless Olympic flag bearer". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 July 2021.