[UPDATED] Rio 2016 Olympics: Baby oil is in, thanks to buffed Tongan flag bearer [PHOTOS & VIDEO]

Sports sites which came out with various lists of the hottest athletes of the Rio 2016 Olympics did not count on a taekwondo athlete from a tiny Pacific island stealing the spotlight on opening ceremony. Because of his oiled and buffed body, Tongan flag bearer Pita Nikolas Taufatofua did not just elicit a loud applause, he is now the darling of social media.

Besides the oiled torso, the ta’ovala, or native mat that the Tongan flag bearer wore stood out, landing the Australia-born taekwondo athlete massive publicity. Taufatofua hopes to break the drought in Tonga’s search for an Olympic medal since its total medal haul is only a silver in 1996 won by boxer Paea Wolfgramm, reports The Telegraph.

Update: To help bring him to Rio, Taufatofua opened a campaign page on generosity.com. Over four months, 125 people raised for him US$9,574 (A$12,460), or about 10 percent of the US$100,000 (A$130,162) goal. Beyond Rio, the campaign would still accept donations for future sports events that the oiled Fijian athlete would participate in.

It would be a heavy responsibility on the new social media superstar, one of the seven Tongan delegates, who suffered six broken bones and three torn ligaments while training for the summer games. The 32-year-old athlete, who spent three months on a wheelchair, another 18 months on crutches and months of physiotherapy, would compete on Aug 20, Saturday, at the men’s +80 kg division.

He got a slot in Tonga’s team after Taufatofua won the Oceania taekwondo qualifying tournament in February in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Tonga’s delegation has athletes competing in taekwondo, archery, track and swimming.

Because of his oiled buff, the hashtags #oil and #vaseline have become viral on social media sites. Whether Taufatofua wins a medal or not, the high media attention he unintentionally received could possibly translate into endorsement deals when he returns home.

Pundits see the taekwondo artist being the image model of baby oil manufacturers. After all, modeling is not new to the taekwondo athlete who wears wedding outfits for Turning Paige, an Australian events company.

The Wall Street Journal calls the Tongan flag bearer, with his grand entrance, the star of Rio Olympics. The daily reports that hours after his opening ceremony appearance, Taufatofua’s Instagram followers grew by more than 1,000.

VIDEO: Tonga makes bold entrance with exotic oiled flagbearer

Source: Top News TV