The star of the Olympics opening ceremony was the shirtless, oily Tongan flagbearer who raised over $6,000 to train for the Olympics
Taufatofua was Tonga's flagbearer during the parade of nation, and he marched out shirtless and drenched in oil, wearing only a Tongan mat, instantly causing a stir in the sports world.
This is Taufatofua's first Olympics and he's Tonga's first taekwondo Olympian.
According to Wall Street Journal, Taufatofua started a Generosity page to crowdsource money to "fund a training camp with world-class fighters, bring his technical coach to that training camp, hire a strength and conditioning coach, buy the electronic system that will be used at the Olympics and cover his costs of travel." His goal was $100,000, according to WSJ. He made only $6,262.
That didn't stop Taufatofua, though. According to WSJ, in an interview with a Tongan website, Taufatofua revealed he's had multiple injuries in his career and was wheelchair-bound for three months.
As WSJ also notes, Taufatofua also gave a preview of his grand Olympics entrance, writing on his Facebook page, "Olympic opening Ceremony tonight! Pumped! We have a little surprise.. Don't blink or you'll miss it."
His entrance quickly made him a star, gaining over 1,000 followers on Instagram within an hour, according to WSJ.
After Friday night, the taekwondo events gained a lot more followers.
