Pita Taufatofua, who became known as the "Tongan muscleman," will enter carrying the Olympic flag at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics. Having drawn attention at multiple past Olympic opening ceremonies for appearing shirtless, Taufatofua will stand at center stage this time as an Olympic flag bearer.
The organizing committee on the 2nd (local time) selected and announced 10 Olympic flag bearers for the opening ceremony. The opening ceremony of the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics will be held on the 6th at San Siro Stadium, and this edition will be staged for the first time in history simultaneously in the two cities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.
At the opening ceremony, Taufatofua will carry the Olympic flag alongside Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya, known as a "marathon legend"; Cindy Ngamba (Italy), introduced as the first Olympic medalist from the Refugee Team; Filippo Grandi (Italy) and Niccolo Goboni (Italy), known for humanitarian work; Mariam Buka Hassan (Nigeria); Rebecca Andrade (Brazil), a gymnast with six Olympic medals; and Akiba Dadatōshi (Japan), who has worked on nuclear disarmament. Franco Nones, Italy's first Olympic champion in cross-country skiing, and Martina Valcepina of Italy's short track national team will also serve as flag bearers.
Taufatofua drew global attention at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics. Competing in taekwondo, he appeared as Tonga's flag bearer with his shirt off, leaving a strong impression. He later broadened his disciplines to attempt cross-country skiing, earned a berth to the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, and again became the center of attention at the opening ceremony. In particular, he made a splash in Pyeongchang by entering shirtless despite the bitter cold.
At the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, he continued his signature performance by serving as flag bearer in the same way. By contrast, he missed the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics due to the impact of the undersea volcanic eruption in Tonga. At the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, he attempted two events, taekwondo and canoe, but was eliminated in the qualifiers.