Tongan heart-throb and Olympic inspirer Pita Taufatofua was one of eight athletes invited to stand with the International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach last night, 25 February, at the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Wearing traditional Tongan attire, Taufatofua celebrated with other athletes as President Bach expressed gratitude to the Korean people for their hosting of a successful games. Wearing Warm clothes Taufatufua told reporters at the beginning of the event:

"I've got to stay warm, get the flowers out, let people see the colour of Polynesia."

“What's different here is that we're no longer individual countries. We're coming out together. That's why I'm dressed the way I am. We're all together, all the same."

Following the closing ceremony, there was no shortage of media appraisal for Taufatofua who finished his cross-skying race 114^th place out of 119 skiers, better than most expected, considering that Taufatofua only owned 13-weeks of training.

However, the highlight of Taufatofua’s 15 km cross-country race was not images of first placed skier Switzerland’s Dario Cologna winning his fourth Olympic gold medal in a row, but that of 34-year-old Taufatofua and other unknowns embracing and lifting up the last placed Mexican skier German Madrazo at the finish line.