Just like at the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and in Pyeongchang in 2018, Pita Taufatofua also walked into the stadium in Tokyo half-naked with an oiled chest.
The 37-year-old “Coconut Fighter” again carried the Tonga flag in Japan's capital Tokyo on Friday and impressed with his well-trained upper body.
But he was not alone with his outfit: rower Rii Riilio from Vanuatu also came into the arena with a bare chest, bast skirt and flip-flops on his feet.
Taufatofua became famous five years ago when he led the delegation of his country and carried the flag of the South Seas state with a bare chest into the Maracanã Stadium.
Two years later he started out as a cross-country skiing outsider in South Korea and came to the stadium in a summer outfit even at temperatures of three degrees below zero.
The otherwise very cautious audience cheered him for it.
In Tokyo, there were no spectators in the stands due to the corona pandemic.
In Japan, Taufatofua is experiencing its third Olympic Games in its main discipline Taekwondo.
This time he was supported by his sports colleague Malia Paseka when carrying the flag.