The star of the Rio Olympics opening ceremony came from an unexpected nation on Friday, and the taekwondo competitor has since gone viral.
Pita Nikolas Taufatofua proudly held the Tongan flag and led his country into Maracana Stadium. Unlike other flag-bearers, Taufatofua is jacked out of his mind and got himself all oiled up for the special occasion. He immediately set the internet on fire:
Whatever happens in Rio tonight, KEEP THE TONGAN FLAG BEARER AWAY FROM THE OLYMPIC FLAME #OpeningCeremony #Olympics pic.twitter.com/Igab1i6TKO
— Josh (@jbillinson) August 6, 2016
Is this Tongan flag bearer the Olympic torch because he's on fire #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/ZAdOwnRASB
— Ana Breton (@missbreton) August 6, 2016
Tonga or Magic Mike 3, you decide. pic.twitter.com/4qVDBAVSB5
— Mark (@MarkMizzouSteel) August 6, 2016
BREAKING: Tonga has now has a shortage of oil. Please donate. #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/8wsTkcl0cZ
— Graeme O'Neil (@GraemeONeil) August 6, 2016
As Taufatofua later explained, he was not simply trying to make the ladies go crazy. Lathering up in coconut oil is apparently a Tongan tradition at special events.
“In Tonga, it’s traditional,” Taufatofua told Stacy St. Clair of the Chicago Tribune on Saturday. “In any sort of special event we use coconut oil … for glisten. But also if it’s a fundraising event, people stick money to it. We use it quite a lot.”
Well, this wasn’t a fundraising event, so we can conclude that it was mainly for the glisten. And glisten he did.
