“Tongan Muscle Man” Who Fired Up Rio and Pyeongchang to Carry Olympic Flag at Winter Games

Symbol of peace and solidarity...chosen as Olympic flag bearer
To enter alongside “marathon legend” Kipchoge
A unique career spanning taekwondo, skiing, and more
Active in volcano disaster relief and UNICEF work

Pita Taufatofua (42), who became known worldwide as the “Tongan muscle man,” will once again step onto the Olympic opening ceremony stage at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics. This time, he will not be entering as the flag bearer for the Tongan delegation, but carrying the Olympic Rings flag, the very symbol of the Games.

On February 3, Yonhap News reported, citing an announcement by the Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, that 10 flag bearers who will carry the Olympic flag at the opening ceremony have been selected. The Organizing Committee explained the selection by saying that they are “individuals who have personally embodied the Olympic values of peace, unity, and solidarity.”

Taufatofua Pita, known worldwide as the 'Tongan muscleman'. Taufatofua Pita's Instagram

Alongside Taufatofua, “marathon legend” Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya, Cindy Ngamba of Italy, who became the first refugee athlete to win a medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Italian humanitarian activists Filippo Grandi and Niccolo Gobboni, and Brazilian Olympic gymnastics medalist Rebeca Andrade were also named as Olympic flag bearers.

The opening ceremony of the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics will be held on February 6 at San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy. This edition of the Games will be the first Winter Olympics in history to be co-hosted by two cities. Taufatofua became an overnight global sensation when he appeared shirtless as the flag bearer for the Tongan delegation at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics. He then cemented his status as an “icon” of the Olympics by appearing in the same manner at the opening ceremonies of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.

In particular, at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, he made a powerful impression by entering bare-chested with coconut oil on his body despite the extreme cold, with temperatures dropping below minus 15 degrees Celsius. He competed in taekwondo at the Rio Olympics, in cross-country skiing at Pyeongchang, and then returned to taekwondo at Tokyo, pursuing a unique path that crossed the boundaries between different sports.

He was unable to compete at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics due to the aftermath of damage caused by an undersea volcanic eruption near Tonga. Instead, he gave up competing and launched fundraising efforts through social media to support recovery efforts in his homeland. At the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, he attempted to qualify in both taekwondo and canoeing, but failed to reach the main competition.

Taufatofua Pita drew worldwide attention overnight when he appeared shirtless as Tonga's flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics. Taufatofua Pita's Instagram

Beyond his athletic career, he serves as UNICEF Pacific Ambassador, taking the lead in supporting children living in poverty and responding to the climate crisis. Through publishing books and participating in various international events, he also plays the role of a civilian diplomat promoting Tonga to the world. Once noted primarily for his “muscular performances,” Taufatofua is now set to stand at the very center of the stage as a figure who symbolizes the core values pursued by the Olympic Games.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.