February 04, (THEWILL) – Pita Taufatofua, a Tongan athlete most recognised for carrying his country’s flag in traditional garb at the past three Olympics, has decided to stay in Tonga to focus on disaster relief.
In January, Tonga was devastated by a Tsunami caused by the explosion of a volcano just 40 miles from the Pacific island nation. Residents lost electricity and connection as large swaths of the country were blanketed in ash.
Taufatofua, who had not yet qualified for the Beijing Olympics at the time of the eruption, decided to forego his fourth Olympic Games in order to devote his time to assisting his country.
The athlete said: “Even with the qualification criteria, I wouldn’t have been able to go to Beijing. There are too many people who are hungry for me to not be focused there.
“I’ll certainly miss it. But what the Olympics stands for is more than just sport, and so I feel there’s some level of Olympic effort that we’re doing now anyway.”
Taufatofua is one of the few athletes to have competed in both the Summer and Winter Olympics, becoming the first Tongan to qualify in taekwondo in Rio 2016 before competing in cross-country skiing two years later in Pyeongchang.
But he rose to prominence after carrying Tonga’s flag in traditional Tongan clothes without a shirt in Rio, then repeating the feat in frigid weather in Pyeongchang and Tokyo. For the time being, he is content to use his celebrity status to benefit Tongans.
“In the coming days, weeks we will need your help,” he wrote. “Initial priority for the funds will go towards those most in need, infrastructure and damage to schools, hospitals etc.”
He will focus on Paris 2024 once he has completed everything he can. “It’s not a stop; it’s a halftime break,” he added.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
