Tongan athlete Pita Taufatofua has announced he is taking up cross-country skiing in a bid to qualify for the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.
The 33-year-old Oceania taekwondo champion became a global sensation following his shirtless entrance at the Rio Olympics opening ceremony in August.
Pita Taufatofua leads his delegation during the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympic Games. Photo: AFP
Taufatofua admitted he still didn't know how to ski but said he liked to challenge himself.
"A couple of years ago I had my first experience in the snow," he said.
"It wasn't skiing - I didn't put on skis until yesterday for all of five minutes - but the Winter Olympics is coming up in 2018 and I'd fallen in love with snow.
"Cross-country skiing represents to me a sport that is so challenging and for me I'm all about taking down those challenge, showing people that they can chase down their own challenges, they can chase down their own dream so that if I can do this anyone can do this."
Pita Taufatofua has taken up cross-country skiing. Photo: Pita Taufatofua / The Olympic Channel
Taufatofua is part of a growing cohort of Tongans, including Makeleta Piukala, Kasete Skeen, Reinhard Langer and Dyan Wackerbauer, who are attempting to qualify for the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang with the support of the Royal Tonga Ski Federation, which was admitted to the International Ski Federation in June.
Tonga Ski Team (from left) Director Steve Grundmann, Reinhard Langer, Dyan Wackerbauer and coach Herman Aigner. Photo: Supplied
Piukala also competes in cross-country skiing, Langer and Wackerbauer are both alpine skiers, and Skeen the giant slalom.
At the 2014 Sochi Games, Bruno Banani competed in the luge, becoming the first Tongan to participate in the Winter Olympics.
Tonga's Bruno Banani during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Photo: AFP
Taufatofua denied the announcement was a publicity stunt and said the Royal Tonga Ski Federation was excited by his decision and saw it as another opportunity to get Tonga and the Pacific out to the world.
"There will be a lot of people who criticise different things. How realistic is it? In my head it's very realistic," he said.
"My whole life has been about challenge: 20 years to try and qualify [for the Olympics in taekwondo] and lots of failed attempts so I believe I can do it."
Pita Taufatofua is attempting to qualify for the 2018 Winter Olympics. Photo: Pita Taufatofua / The Olympic Channel
"I think people set their goals way to low - this is completely out there: it's a massive goal, it's a massive dream but some people can set their goals so low that they can actually achieve them.
"I have no fear setting them high - if things go to plan then I'll be in South Korea in a year and a half," said Taufatofua.
"Firstly I've got to learn how to ski [he says laughing], so I'm heading across to Europe at the end of December.
"First step learn how to ski, second step complete a race, actually finish a race - cross-country skiing is a very tough sport.
"Third step is then to improve on the time and final step is to start improving at different competitions."
Taufatofua said he had a year and a half to try to qualify for Pyeongchang but if he was not successful there was always another Winter Olympics four years after that.