Taufatofua will be competing in these Olympics as a cross-country skier, despite living in a tropical nation that has no snow. He competed in taekwondo in Rio.
As he did in 2016, Taufatofua caused quite the stir on social media.
The Tonga flag-bearer is back and it appears as tho he hasn't put a shirt on since Rio and is wearing twice the amount of oil as he was in 2016 #PyeongChang2018
As South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his wife greeted VIPs in their dignitary box to watch the opening ceremony, they turned to shake hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's younger sister, who arrived earlier in the day on an unprecedented visit to the South by a member of the North's ruling Kim family.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, bottom right, shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's younger sister Kim Yo Jong during the opening ceremony. Photo / AP.
Kim's sister, Kim Yo Jong, was at the opening ceremony with North Korea's nominal head of state, 90-year-old Kim Yong Nam.
They are part of an extraordinary diplomatic push by the North aimed at using the Olympics to ease tensions with Seoul and bolster unity between the two Koreas after a year that has been marked by escalating fears of war and increasing angry rhetoric between Pyongyang and Washington.
As they shook hands, the North and South Koreans spoke briefly. It was not immediately known what they said, but all of them were smiling.
US Vice President Mike Pence and his wife were seated beside the Moons and next to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife.
His office said he did not interact with the North Koreans.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un impersonators were kicked out of the opening ceremony but not before making a call for peace.
"We get along personally, so I believe that Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, if they talked they'd probably get along. Because in my opinion, they're pretty much the same person," the Kim impersonator said.
"And Dennis Rodman has confirmed this and he's met both of them personally," he added, referring to the former NBA player who has met with Kim multiple times.
"So let's start talking and stop with all the missiles and everything else," the impersonator said. "We want peace, everybody wants peace, nobody wants war."
Clad in the flagbearer's traditional cloak Te Mahutonga, Wells led a 32-strong Kiwi contingent of athletes and officials, including his brothers Jackson and Byron on Friday night.
New Zealand were the seventh country to march at PyeongChang Olympic Stadium per order of the Korean alphabet.
Beau-James Wells carries the flag of New Zealand during the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Friday, Feb. 9, 2018. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
US SPEED SKATER BOYCOTTS CEREMONY AFTER CONTROVERSY
Erin Hamlin led Team USA into the opening ceremony but one person who wasn't there was five-time Olympian Shani Davis, who boycotted the ceremony.
Davis, who has won two gold medals and two silver medals, and is one of the only African Americans on the team, felt that he should have been the flag bearer.
South Korean figure skating gold medalist Yuna Kim has ignited the Olympic cauldron for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
Kim won a gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and a silver at the 2014 Sochi Games before retiring from competition.
Yuna Kim, former South Korean figure skater lights the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Photo / AP
A North Korean and South Korean from the countries' joint hockey team also participated in the ceremony, handing off to Kim.
The opening ceremony kicked off what will be the biggest Winter Olympic Games to date with more than 2900 athletes from 92 countries competing.
The athletes started marching in the Opening Ceremony - with Greece leading the way.
The show kicked off with a fireworks display surrounding the stadium, finishing with the word "Welcome" lighting up the night sky.
The theme of the ceremony was "peace" and the story followed the adventures of five children from Gangwon province (the region where the Olympics is being held).
The children watched as a turtle ship made of gold life floated over their heads before a golden tiger appeared.
A human-operated puppet tiger entered the stage, followed by the five kids.
The white tiger is a "protector of peace".
Hundreds of female dancers dressed in red and white took to the stage with drums, some weaving intricate patters as they go, while others sat in a circle in the centre.
They finished in the shape of the South Korean flag.
Athletes from Great Britain enter the Olympic stadium during the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Photo / AP
THE STADIUM
Tonight was one of the first — and last — time the stadium will be used.
The five-sided 35,000-seat stadium cost about $100 million to build, but its primary use is for only four events: The opening and closing ceremonies for both the Olympics and Paralympics. Then it will be torn down and the site will be rebuilt with a museum and leisure facilities.
Members of the North Korean delegation sat in seats in the upper deck, cheering for the North Korean taekwondo team performing in the centre of the stadium.
North and South Korea marched in together under a united flag.
