2 years ago
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Another reason to love him.
Pita Taufatofua is probably one of the biggest Olympic stars of the past decade or so.
Chris Hyde / Getty Images for Samsung
For the last three Olympics, he has been *the* highlight of the opening ceremony.
Nbc / NBCU Photo Bank / NBCUniversal via Getty Images
He made his debut in 2016 in Rio.
Ezra Shaw / Getty Images
He came back in 2018 in Pyeongchang.
Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP via Getty Images
And we were lucky enough to see him in Tokyo in 2020.
Odd Andersen / AFP via Getty Images
For those wondering, he does taekwondo for the Summer Games.
Maja Hitij / Getty Images
And cross-country skiing for the Winter Games.
Matthias Hangst / Getty Images,
Now, let's get back to why he wasn't in Beijing.
Jamie Squire / Getty Images
According to NPR, Pita skipped the games this year to focus on humanitarian relief for Tongo after last month's volcano eruption.
Mary Lyn Fonua / Matangi Tonga/AFP via Getty Images
Pita has been using his Instagram to provide updates from the island.
He's been highlighting relief efforts and trying to bring awareness to the island.
Besides his philanthropy, he's continued to have important meetings in his *business suit.*
He released this official statement about his absence last week and thanked everyone for their support:
"Right now I have another task that calls me, I must answer. But make no mistake, my sword is sharp and my mind is ready. I am just getting started."
Luckily for us, there was another shirtless flag bearer from American Samoa.
Xinhua News Agency / Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images
And Pita gave him a shoutout for holding down the fort.
So yeah, he's hoping to come back for Paris 2024, so let's hope for that!
Dan Istitene / Getty Images
We could all use more shirtless oiled up men (with generous hearts) in our lives. <3
Dan Istitene / Getty Images
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