Tonga at the 2018 Winter Olympics

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Tonga at the
2018 Winter Olympics

Flag of Tonga.svg

IOC code TGA
NOC Tonga Sports Association and National Olympic Committee
Website www.oceaniasport.com/tonga
in Pyeongchang, South Korea
9–25 February 2018
Competitors 1 (1 man) in 1 event
Flag bearer (opening) Pita Taufatofua [1]
Flag bearer (closing) Pita Taufatofua
Medals
Gold
0
Silver
0
Bronze
0
Total
0
Winter Olympics appearances (overview)
Former Summer Olympian in taekwondo Pita Taufatofua competed in cross-country skiing as the only athlete representing Tonga. Pita Taufatofua Rio2016.jpg
Former Summer Olympian in taekwondo Pita Taufatofua competed in cross-country skiing as the only athlete representing Tonga.

Tonga competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, from 9 to 25 February 2018. It was represented by a single athlete, cross-country skier Pita Taufatofua. Pita Taufatofua, once again, marched into the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium shirtless, smothered in coconut oil, and dressed in a traditional ta'ovala (a Tongan mat), after previously doing so in Rio. [2]

Tonga country in Oceania

Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is a Polynesian country and archipelago comprising 169 islands, of which 36 are inhabited. The total surface area is about 750 square kilometres (290 sq mi) scattered over 700,000 square kilometres (270,000 sq mi) of the southern Pacific Ocean. The sovereign state has a population of 100,651 people, of whom 70% reside on the main island of Tongatapu.

2018 Winter Olympics 23rd Winter Olympics, Pyeongchang (S. Korea) 2018

The 2018 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXIII Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as PyeongChang 2018, was an international winter multi-sport event that was held between 9 and 25 February 2018 in Pyeongchang County, Gangwon Province, South Korea, with the opening rounds for certain events held on 8 February 2018, the eve of the opening ceremony.

South Korea Republic in East Asia

South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and lying to the east of the Asian mainland. The name Korea is derived from Goguryeo which was one of the great powers in East Asia during its time, ruling most of the Korean Peninsula, Manchuria, parts of the Russian Far East and Inner Mongolia, under Gwanggaeto the Great. South Korea lies in the north temperate zone and has a predominantly mountainous terrain. It comprises an estimated 51.4 million residents distributed over 100,363 km2 (38,750 sq mi). Its capital and largest city is Seoul, with a population of around 10 million.

Contents

Competitors

The following is the list of number of competitors participating in the Tongan delegation per sport.

Sport Men Women Total
Cross-country skiing 10 1
Total 1 0 1

Cross-country skiing

Tonga qualified one male athlete, Pita Taufatofua. [3] [4] [5]

Pita Taufatofua Tongan taekwondo practitioner and skier, flag bearer of Tonga at the opening ceremony for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang

Pita Nikolas Taufatofua is a Tongan taekwondo practitioner and skier who lives in Australia. Taufatofua became widely known after footage of his appearance at the opening ceremony for the 2016 Summer Olympics oiled and shirtless went viral. He was flagbearer for Tonga in both the 2016 Olympics and 2018 Winter Olympics.

Distance
AthleteEventFinal
TimeDeficitRank
Pita Taufatofua Men's 15 km freestyle 56:41.1 +22:57.2114

See also

Tonga at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Tonga competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This is the nation's ninth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics.

Tonga at the 2018 Commonwealth Games

Tonga competed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, Australia from April 4 to April 15, 2018.

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References

  1. "Opening Ceremony Flagbearers - Olympic Winter Games, PyeongChang 2018" (PDF). olympic.org. International Olympic Committee (IOC). 9 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  2. "Winter Olympics 2018: Tonga's Rio Olympic flagbearer will compete in Pyeongchang". BBC News . London, United Kingdom. 20 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  3. "Cross-country Skiing Quota List for Olympic Games 2018". www.data.fis-ski.com/. International Ski Federation (FIS). 20 December 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  4. Zaccardi, Nick (20 January 2018). "Tonga flag bearer from Rio qualifies for Winter Olympics". www.olympics.nbcsports.com/. NBC Sports . Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  5. Gartland, Dan (20 January 2018). "Shirtless Tongan Flag-Bearer Qualifys for Winter Olympics". www.si.com/. Time Inc. Sports Illustrated Group. Retrieved 20 January 2018.