An anecdotal fact probably went unnoticed by many during the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympics in Rio. However, it became a worldwide trend on social media.
It happened when the delegation from Tonga, a small and little-known country in Oceania made up of 177 islands and just over 100,000 inhabitants, was coming out. However, this time it would go down in history in the most unexpected way.
And it is that the flag bearer, Pita Nikolas Taufatofua, who represents the nation in the discipline of Taekwondo, made his appearance showing his bare and oil-covered torso. The reason was to pay tribute to the traditional me'etu'upaki dance, the most well-known in his country.
However, things did not go as planned, and his body made his country a worldwide trend. In an hour, Tonga was mentioned 40,700 times on Twitter, especially (but not exclusively) by the female audience.
From lascivious comments, marriage proposals, and compliments to memes, mockery, and criticism, the fact was consummated. #Tonga was a trend only surpassed by #CerimoniaDeAbertura (Opening Ceremony) itself. It's as if half of his country had written.
On his Instagram account, the 32-year-old athlete confesses his dream fulfilled of being an Olympic athlete. "Yes, I can - you can too!" reads the post. His debut is scheduled for August 20.