Olympics opening ceremony memes: Tonga doesn't give a shirt
A shirtless and greased-up Pita Taufatofua set the gold standard for meme material as the Pyeongchang games got underway.
He's baaaaack. And honestly, he doesn't give a shirt about the cold.
The 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, officially kicked off with an elaborate opening ceremony Friday morning, but one athlete in particular stood out.
Remember the oily flag bearer for #Tonga in the Summer Olympics? @PitaTaufatofua . He went shirtless in Rio.. And he did it again at the #OpeningCeremony at the #Olympics in South Korea. He knows it's WINTER, doesn't he? pic.twitter.com/whWQ8ySUan
— David Rancken (@rancken) February 9, 2018
Pita Taufatofua, the only member of Tonga's Olympic team, won the world's attention by marching into Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium shirtless despite near-freezing temperatures. Taufatofua carried his country's flag while displaying an oiled-up chest and torso, and smiling all the way.
This was Taufatofua's second shirtless Olympic appearance. In the 2016 Rio Olympics he was competing in taekwondo, in 2018 he will be cross-country skiing. But the temperatures at the Summer Games in Rio were a lot more bare-chest-friendly than in Pyeongchang.
Taufatofua instantly won the gold medal for online memes and jokes.
Bermuda: Its not that cold. We can wear shorts.
— Nick Murray (@NickMurray91) February 9, 2018
Tonga guy: Hold my beer#OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/i4z8Btrvdm
When they've asked you for the Olympics again but nobody told you it was for the Winter Olympics #Tonga #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/VeWTt7mUlX
— Lammert de Bruin (@lammert) February 9, 2018
Tonga’s flagbearer Pita Taufatofua.
— Simon Cullen (@Simon_Cullen) February 9, 2018
Summer Olympics (left) v Winter Olympics (right). #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/1h5LIq73vh
HE'S BACK Y'ALL! SHIRTLESS TONGA GUY QUALIFIED FOR THE WINTER OLYMPICS 😂😂😍😍😍 #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/sU3CVfGhFC
— Sarah (@bergs____) February 9, 2018
"I won't freeze. I am from Tonga." Pita Taufatofua shows once again he's willing to give the shirt off his back for Tonga in Olympic conditions –– this time in below freezing temperatures. https://t.co/d6kZs1t4Pb pic.twitter.com/CbYNqEvIB3
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 9, 2018
Refreshing CNN headline here https://t.co/AQ5N3QRNK0 pic.twitter.com/SowEBwGPjW
— pourmecoffee (@pourmecoffee) February 9, 2018
Best part of the #OpeningCeremony ? #PyeongChang2018 #WinterGames2018 #PitaTaufatofua #shirtless #Tonga #poll
— The Poll Place (@Poll_places) February 9, 2018
The Australian announcer is more excited about the shirtless dude from Tonga than he was for our athletes 😂 #OpeningCeremony
— Boronia🍷 (@boroniaw) February 9, 2018
The Tongan's toughness wasn't the only opening-ceremony topic that resonated. Many were touched to see North and South Korea marching together under a unified flag. Two members of the mixed North and South Korean women's hockey team together carried the Olympic torch up to the cauldron.
Loudest cheers so far when the two Koreas marched in together. V emotional #pyeongchangOlympics2018 pic.twitter.com/nYB48GgGuT
— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) February 9, 2018
Never thought I'd see the two Koreas walking together. Nothing is out of the question.
— Mike Stuchbery 💀🍷 (@MikeStuchbery_) February 9, 2018
Olympics might be expensive and crazy and weird...but seeing the two Koreas marching under one flag makes it all look so much more meaningful. https://t.co/v83cUoHv1t
— Ivana Kottasová (@IvanaKottasova) February 9, 2018
North and South Korean ice hockey players carry the torch at the #PyeongChang2018 opening ceremony. An incredible scene when the ramp transformed into stairs. And a fitting reminder: no challenge too steep, here. (H/t @MichelleEDover) pic.twitter.com/aHLUTaLzEL
— Catherine Killough (@CatKillough) February 9, 2018
i cried when the two korean hockey team players carried the torch and i'm not in the slightest bit ashamed
— アッチ (@ryuuseitaii) February 9, 2018
Women’s hockey players are the final torch bearers.
— lindsay ⊂ ( 'Θ' ) ⊃ (@snark_maiden) February 9, 2018
♪( ´θ｀)ノ#PeyongChang2018 pic.twitter.com/tBt1mYRHf5
Impersonators of US President Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong-un showed up, and apparently were thrown out.
Here’s a bad picture of the Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un impersonators who just caused a big commotion in one section of the Olympic stands! pic.twitter.com/6YD9sR7kxy
— Andrew Keh (@andrewkeh) February 9, 2018
Drama! Big excitement as Trump and Kim Jong Un impersonators were just escorted out of stadium right behind me. #pyeongchang2018 #olympics
— melissa block (@NPRmelissablock) February 9, 2018
Wait... South Korea is the one WITH freedom, right? Hard to tell sometimes. 😂 I mean look at these guys. Harmless. pic.twitter.com/t3HlNKiIVv
— Spaceboy☘ (@bm_sfg) February 9, 2018
Well maybe they went and had a cold beer together and talked about world Peace?
— troy (@ChuckKnox12) February 9, 2018
And in an impressive display, more than 1,200 drones from Intel morphed into the image of a snowboarder, and then into the Olympic rings.
1218 drones assemble into a snowboarder then morph into the Olympic rings. Amazing.#WinterOlympics#OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/6LUwVHxaBM
— Greg Hogben (@MyDaughtersArmy) February 9, 2018
And these are 1200 drones #pyeongchang2018 pic.twitter.com/aUuuYmhovv
— Elise Hu (@elisewho) February 9, 2018
#OpeningCeremony in last few days seen a car in space and drones creating the Olympic Rings. technology is incredible
— John Yorath (@JohnCWMoody) February 9, 2018
1200 drones
— Zoey Jantsan (@ZoeyJantsan) February 9, 2018
100 skiers
5 Olympic Rings 🔥 #OpeningCeremony pic.twitter.com/Cj547Zd3RY
TOP 4 MOMENTS OF THE #OpeningCeremony
— 노르마 🍑🏖📖 (@norma19) February 9, 2018
- The two Koreans coming out as one.
- The coolass drones forming the olympic rings.
- Athlete from Tonga looking like that in winter, coz why not.
- Queen Yuna, nuff said.#PyeongChang2018 pic.twitter.com/0vpkP8XP49
The Winter Olympics run through Feb. 25.