LOOK: Tongan Pita Taufatofua goes shirtless for Olympics Opening Ceremony
Tonga's oiled-up flag-bearer is back, and Bermuda is putting a whole new spin on 'Bermuda shorts'
Frosty weather was one of the main concerns surrounding the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, where temperatures were projected to drop as low as single digits, with even colder wind chills.
But don't tell that to the Opening Ceremony representatives for Tonga and Bermuda.
Two years after going viral for his shirtless appearance at the Rio Games ceremony, Pita Taufatofua returned to the limelight in South Korea by, well, going shirtless again. The former taekwondo competitor apparently said just days before Friday's Opening Ceremony that he wouldn't expose himself in the colder climate since he's now set to represent Tonga as a cross-country skier and the country's only athlete at the Winter Games.
Lo and behold, there he was in Pyeongchang, toting Tonga's flag with no shirt, no socks and plenty of body oil.
Tonga! Immune to the cold. #Pyeongchang2018 #Olympics pic.twitter.com/JX6PYINg0C
— Jean H. Lee (@newsjean) February 9, 2018
SHUT IT DOWN TONGA#OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/rdRj5jcSn6
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) February 9, 2018
The Tongan flagbearer says: “I won’t freeze. I am from Tonga. We sailed across the Pacific. This is nothing.”
— Mark Staniforth (@markstani1) February 9, 2018
And that wasn't the only demonstration of weather (in)sensitivity, with Bermuda eliciting Twitter cries for an early gold medal thanks to their walk through single-digit winds in, yes, Bermuda shorts.
So it’s about 20 degrees here in #Pyeongchang and a windchill in single digits but the team from Bermuda is wearing... wait for it - #Bermuda shorts. Give em a gold #Olympics #BermudaTough pic.twitter.com/UPJrfnCy79
— Matt Gutman (@mattgutmanABC) February 9, 2018
The Bermuda boys at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea pic.twitter.com/j50IA4Hxv6
— Eddie Du (@Edourdoo) February 9, 2018
This, of course, led to inevitable links between Tonga and Bermuda -- a sign of early unity in the 2018 Winter Olympics unlike any other.
Bermuda: Its not that cold. We can wear shorts.
— Nick Murray (@NickMurray91) February 9, 2018
Tonga guy: Hold my beer#OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/i4z8Btrvdm
Stay tuned for Pita Taufatofua's outfit for when he skis.
















