If you are wondering who this oiled up, shirtless guy with a skirt on is and why he is at the Olympics, you’re not alone. A lot of people are curious as well, we’ve got you covered.
His name is Pita Taufatofua and he is from the Kingdom of Tonga, more simply referred to as Tonga. If you have never heard of Tonga before, don’t worry, a lot of people haven’t. The country consists of a chain of 169 islands near the coast of Australia.
Pita was born in Australia but raised in Tonga and is Tongan on his father’s side. Pita made his first Olympic debut in 2016 where he competed in Taekwondo, also dressed in ceremonial Tongan garb, a taʻovala. He returned to the 2020 Olympics to compete in Taekwondo again. Pita, a natural athlete, also competes as a canoe rower and cross-country skier, although not during the 2020 Olympic Games.
When he is not competing in the spirit of international competition, he is donating his time for global cooperation. Taufatofua is a UNICEF Ambassador and volunteers at charities focused on building independent living skills in homeless children. To learn more about Pita Taufatofua, you can follow him on Instagram here.
Palmer Ferguson is the Director Video Production for Buzz Media. You can follow him on Instagram here.
