Revealed: the traditional Tongan remedy used by topless Olympics flag bearer to fight freezing cold
Tonga’s Honorary Consul in Sydney reveals how Pita Taufatofua kept warm while flashing his torso in sub-zero temperatures at Pyeongchang Winter Games opening ceremony
The Tongan flag-bearer’s secret has been revealed: it was coconut oil that kept him warm when he paraded half-naked at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony.
But while many wondered how he could march in only a traditional skirt and sandals without getting frostbite, the answer lies in the oil he had liberally applied to his torso.
“Pita secretly brought his tiny bottle of coconut oil in his pocket,” Louise Waterhouse, Tonga’s Honorary Consul in Sydney, told the Matangi Tonga Online website.
“And just before Tonga’s marching time, when the march organisers saw what Pita was doing, they were then so helpful and even gave him a little side room to keep warm immediately before the entrance to the stadium.”
Coconut oil is, apparently, a traditional Tongan remedy to ward off cold.