Pita Taufatofua is probably one of the biggest Olympic stars of the past decade or so.
You probably know him as the oiled-up shirtless Tongan flag bearer.
For the last three Olympics, he has been *the* highlight of the opening ceremony.
He made his debut in 2016 in Rio.
He came back in 2018 in Pyeongchang.
And we were lucky enough to see him in Tokyo in 2020.
For those wondering, he does taekwondo for the Summer Games.
And cross-country skiing for the Winter Games.
Now, let's get back to why he wasn't in Beijing.
According to NPR, Pita skipped the games this year to focus on humanitarian relief for Tongo after last month's volcano eruption.
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.
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!
We could all use more shirtless oiled up men (with generous hearts) in our lives. <3
