but a traditional Taʻovala mat wrapped around his waist, baring an oiled chest and torso. On Friday 16 February 2018, he competed in the 15km skiing freestyle race, coming in 114th place out of 119 skiers. 2020 Summer Olympics Taufatofua led his nation in the 2020 Opening Ceremonies, again shirtless and oiled; however, this time he had a co-flagbearer, Malia Paseka, who was also there to compete in Taekwondo. This marked the third time the Tongan Olympian carried his country's flag in tapa cloth (a form of traditional Tongan clothing). In addition to showing off his oiled physique, Taufatofua also wore a pearl necklace in tribute to those who had recently passed (namely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic) as well as in dedication to his parents and family. The black pearl featured on the necklace held personal significance to him and his family. Prior to the opening ceremonies, Taufatofua shared a photograph of the necklace on Instagram, beginning the caption with the words, "FOR THOSE WE LOST - you will always be a pearl in the safety of our hearts." Personal life Taufatofua grew up with his parents and six siblings in a one-bedroom house in Tonga, which the family lost in a tropical storm. As an adult he splits his time between his home nation and Brisbane, Australia. Taufatofua is a UNICEF ambassador and spends time working with homelessness charities, including at Sandgate House training homeless children to develop independent living skills. He also works to raise awareness of global warming, which threatens his island nation of Tonga. He is a motivational speaker and in 2018 he published a book called The Motivation Station: An Essential Guide to Becoming Your Greatest Version. He was a speaker at the 2018 MIT Solve, which was headlined by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He has an engineering degree and as of 2016 is working on his master's degree. He has also worked as a model beginning at age eighteen. In 2022, Taufatofua reported on Instagram that his father and other family members were among those affected by the 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai eruption and tsunami. He also made a fundraiser on the website GoFundMe, to provide money for relief to Tonga following the tsunami. References External links Living people 1983 births Australian sportspeople of Tongan descent Tongan people of British descent Taekwondo practitioners at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic taekwondo