*This content was translated by AI.


Pita Taupatopua, the "Tonga Muscle Man" who has drawn attention by appearing without her top at the three Olympic opening ceremonies, will also appear in front of fans around the world at the 2026 Milan-Cortina D'Ampezzo Winter Olympics. He will also enter the opening ceremony of the Olympics with the Olympic flag. Attention is focusing on whether he will appear without his jacket again this time.
The organizing committee of the 2026 Winter Olympics selected a total of 10 Olympic flag riders for the opening ceremony, including Taupatofua, on the 2nd (local time).
The opening ceremony of the Olympics will be held at San Siro Olympic Stadium in Milan, Italy, on the 6th.
an opening ceremony marking the start of the tournament. As riders, Eliud Kipchoke (Kenya), the "living legend of marathon," who won two gold medals (2016 and 2020) by participating in a total of five Olympics (2004 Athens, 2008 Beijing, 2016 Rio de Janeiro, 2020 Tokyo, 2024 Paris), Taupatofua, the "Tonga muscle man," and Cindy Ngamba, the first Olympic medalist in the refugee team (2024 Olympic boxing) will be the Olympic flag bearer.
They include former Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba (Japan), a nuclear disarmament expert, Hebeka Andrad, a Brazilian gymnast who overcame his injuries by fighting spirit, Filippo Grandi, Nicolo Goboni (Italy), and Mariam Buka Hasan (Nigeria).
The opening ceremony of the event will be held simultaneously in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, two cities, for the first time in the history of the Winter Olympics. Italy's first cross-country skiing Olympic champion, Franco Nones, and Italy's national short-track speed skater, Martina Valcepina, who won three medals at the Winter Olympics, will be the Olympic flag bearer at Cortina d'Ampezzo.
Regarding the background of the selection of the flag bearers, the organizing committee explained, "They embody the values of peace, harmony, and solidarity that form the basis of the Olympic spirit."



As expected, the most eye-catching protagonist is Taupatofua, a former Taekwondo player. For the first time in Olympic history, Taufatofua competed in both the Summer Olympics (2016 Rio de Janeiro, 2020 Tokyo) and the Winter Olympics (2018 Pyeongchang). At the Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo competitions, he participated in taekwondo events. He also competed in cross-country skiing at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
Above all, he received great attention at the opening ceremony. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, he was the Tonga flag bearer at the opening ceremony, and his appearance drew great attention. He showed off his cool muscles with his top completely off, creating a strong impression on people around the world.
In particular, at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, which was hit hard by the cold, Taupatofua was selected as the Olympic flag bearer and once again entered with his shirt off, drawing explosive attention. He then returned as a taekwondo athlete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and showed off his strong muscular body by becoming a Tonga jockey again at the opening ceremony.
What will it look like in this Olympics. Currently, the temperature in Milan is said to be similar to that of Korea in early winter. During the PyeongChang competition, he showed his mettle, saying, "This weather is nothing." Attention is focusing on whether Taupatopua will take off his top again by showing strong mental strength (?) this time.


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*This content was translated by AI.
