Taufatofua appeared as Tonga 's flag bearer in the Parade of Nations during the Olympics opening ceremony , which was held on 5 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro , Brazil . During the parade , he wore nothing but a taʻovala ( a Tongan mat which is wrapped around the waist ) , with his face and torso appearing noticeably shiny . Initially , many assumed that he was sweating profusely , but it became apparent that he had applied copious amounts of oil to his torso . Taufatofua 's shirtless , oiled-up appearance garnered him fame on social media as footage of his appearance went viral . During the taekwondo tournament , Taufatofua was eliminated in his first bout by the Iranian Sajjad Mardani once the score escalated to 16-1 . Taufatofua made an appearance at the closing ceremony of the games , showing up after a musical number in the same costume he wore during the Parade of Nations
Olympics opening ceremony
2016 Summer Olympics opening ceremony
Pita Taufatofua