Fans will be missing one very familiar face at the Opening Ceremony for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.
Tonga's beloved flag bearer Pita Taufatofua—who has competed in both the summer and winter games for taekwando and cross-country skiing—will not be taking part in this year's competition. Instead, he will be focusing on relief efforts following the recent tsunami and volcanic eruption in the Pacific nation.
"Right now my focus is on making sure that we can help with the Tonga rebuild," he told Olympics.com on Jan. 20, "and then my energies will move back to the Olympics."
On Jan. 15, an underwater volcano near Tonga erupted. According to CNN, huge plumes of ash, gas and steam entered the air, and the eruption led to a tsunami, with the New Zealand High Commission in Nuku'alofa saying that "significant" damage was caused.
"Tonga gets hit by a volcanic eruption, covered in ash and then a tsunami comes through and hits Tonga as well. It's been a devastating last few days," Taufatofua told Olympics.com from Australia. "Once I started to see the footage of all of the waves coming in, I sat there and I thought, 'This is going to be catastrophic for our island. We're going to need help.'"
Communications also went down, making it difficult for Taufatofua to communicate with this family, who've been confirmed safe.
"We received one single message from a cousin of mine in [the main island of] Haʻapai. And the message was along the lines of, 'The waves have come through the house. House is still standing. Everyone is fine,'" he recalled to Olympics.com. "And we weren't even able to message back."
It was five days before the first aid planes carrying humanitarian supplies arrived, but Taufatofua jumped into action right away, creating a GoFundMe Page to help with infrastructure and damage of hospitals and schools. So far, the account has raised more than $794,000. He also continues to document other relief efforts on social media.
Then on Feb. 2, NBC News reported that COVID-19 had entered Tonga. According to the news organization, it was detected in two port workers distributing supplies and is leading to a lockdown.
"After 2 years without a single case of covid in the community, it has now found its way into paradise," Taufatofua wrote on Instagram on Feb. 1. "But we will not be overcome by fear or panic. Our foundations were never built on land or in flesh; they were built by faith in the hearts of the people. In a place where no falling ash, rising sea or sickness can ever touch. Still together, still standing! Tonga strong."
He also remains determined to one day return to the Olympics. Taufatofua made his Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio Games and went on to compete in the 2018 PyeongChang Games and 2020 Tokyo Games.
"Three Olympics in a row I have been blessed with all of your kindness," he wrote in a message shared to Instagram on Feb. 1. "That last two years, competition and travel has been non-existent. Not everything is in our control. That said, I embrace both the good and the bad as part of life, and I do so with a smile. This time I will not be sharing the Beijing Olympics games with you all. But I continue with joy as I prepare to support all the Olympians who have worked so hard to represent their countries. They are all flag bearers, they all stand for that voice that calls us all to become our very best."
And while he said he has "another task that calls me" at the moment, he did hint that he could return to the Olympics in the future and wrote, "Paris 'we' are coming!"
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family).