One of the highlights of the opening ceremony, did the 37-year-old Tongan player become popular overnight because he went shirtless?

On the evening of July 23rd, Beijing time, the long-awaited Tokyo Olympic Games finally opened. China athletes are all wearing China red suits and white T-shirts. The flag bearers are Zhu Ting, captain of the women's volleyball team, and Zhao Shuai, a taekwondo athlete. When they face each other, the whole delegation is bright red. At this moment, the whole world is cheering for China, and the China delegation has also become a highlight of the opening ceremony. Another highlight of the opening ceremony was Pita, the flag bearer of the Tongan delegation. As soon as he appeared, he boarded the hot search, and his inspirational story was widely praised by netizens.

1. Never-ending footsteps: three Olympic Games and three trans-regional winter and summer events.

This is the third time that Tonga's younger brother Pita has participated in the Olympic Games, and it is also the third time that he has served as the flag bearer for the opening ceremony. He has become a business card of Tonga, attracting the world's attention for this small country with a population of only/kloc-0.0 million, and his appearance always brings surprises to people.

Pita was originally a Taekwondo athlete. At the Rio Olympics, he still wore traditional Tongan costumes and entered the stadium shirtless. As Pita is the first athlete in Tonga's history to participate in Taekwondo, there is no sponsor to provide training venues and funds. Pita can only raise money on social platforms. Although he only appeared for 15 minutes, he still attracted the attention of the whole world. At the Pyeongchang Olympic Games, Pita once again went shirtless in the weather of minus 15 degrees. This time, he didn't know how many people worshipped him. He has only seen snow once, but he has participated in cross-country skiing. In this Tokyo Olympic Games, Pita once again challenged herself and took part in the canoeing competition.

2. The transformation of multiple identities: as an athlete and an ambassador of UNICEF.

Some people questioned that Pita was dressed like this just to create a stunt at the opening ceremony, but in fact, the semi-naked dress he insisted on wearing was a traditional costume of Tonga, and he was coated with coconut oil, which was used by the indigenous people of Oceania to express their connection with their ancestors. He said: I represent Tonga's 1000-year history. When we crossed the Pacific Ocean, we didn't wear a suit and tie.

Many people don't know that he is not only an athlete, but also a representative ambassador of UNICEF in the Pacific region. He also worked in a children's shelter for fifteen years to help children live a better life. In Pita, we can see the athlete's spirit of constant struggle and challenge, as well as his loving side.

Although Pita didn't play well in the previous two Olympic Games, he still deserves our respect and cheers. Because the 2032 Olympic Games was held in Brisbane, Australia, his mother's hometown, Pita said that he would take part in the Olympic Games again, and he wanted to leave his footprints in his mother's hometown.