Rare guests of Winter Games receive warm welcome in Beijing
The shirtless American Samoa flag-bearer Nathan Crumpton
Video of Nathan Crumpton, a shirtless flag-bearer for American Samoa, at Friday's opening ceremony for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games has gone viral.
Netizens left messages on various Chinese digital platforms wondering how Crumpton has coped with Beijing's freezing winter. Some called him "the most stylish guy in the whole night."
Born in Kenya and growing up in Africa and Australia before settling in Virginia, US, Crumpton also inherited some Chinese genes from his mother's side.
"I'm honored to have qualified for the Winter Olympics and to represent American Samoa, a region of the world that does not often participate the Winter Games," he said.
He will compete on February 10 and 11 at the National Sliding Center in Yanqing, Beijing.
Crumpton is the only athlete representing American Samoa at this Winter Games, and also the first in last 28 years.
Also a Summer Olympics athlete, Crumpton was the second-fastest American Samoan athlete at the Tokyo Summer Olympics, with a score of 11.27 second in the 100-meter race.
In addition to the field race, he is also good at skeleton, a competition event for Winter Games. He won American Samoa's first gold medal in skeleton at the 2019 North America's Cup for his nation.
As the two Olympic Games are so close, the real time for his role changing between summer and winter competitions was really short.
The topless tradition is not unusual for the Summer Olympics while it is rare for the Winter Games.
Pita Taufatofua, a Tongan athlete who was being shirtless and carrying the Tongan flag at the 2018 Winter Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, also interacted with Crumpton via social platform.
"Although I won't be there, I will be cheering on all athletes and my fellow teammates who have arrived in Beijing," Taufatofua wrote on his Instagram.
"I can feel the energy, it's like I'm there, pumped for the opening ceremony!" he also tweeted.
Appearing shirtless was a tradition of Tongan athlete Pita Taufatofua.
Many countries in the world have a tropical climate and are limited by the perennially hot weather which is not suitable for Winter Games practicing. So far, only 15 of the 54 African countries have participated in the Winter Games.
While those from tropical or desert regions still tried their best to be in the "Olympic family."
A total of four teams from Africa will compete for medals in this year's Winter Games, Ghana, Nigeria, Eritrea and Morocco. There are also many athletes from tropical or desert countries such as Haiti and Saudi Arabia. It is the first time for athletes from those two countries to compete in the Winter Games.
Samuel Ikpefan from Nigeria, who lives in Annemasse in the French Alps, will be the first Nigerian skier to participate in the Winter Olympics.
He wrote on his Instagram that he was so glad to have the support from people around him, making him live the Olympic dream.
A screen-shot of Samuel Ikpefan's Instagram account.
