--- description: The flag bearer and 105kg weightlifter from Kiribati delighted crowds when he danced off stage following his Olympic Games effort title: The Heartbreaking Reason This Weightlifter Danced Off Stage image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8ac9b8a2c662de94/6988a281524fc06903df9299/david-katoatau-dancing-climate-change-3.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Sports](/section/sports/) ## Sports Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics](/tag/2016-rio-de-janiero-olympics/) ## 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # This Olympic Weightlifter Danced Off Stage to Raise Awareness of Climate Change by [Kate Samuelson](/author/kate-samuelson/) ## Kate Samuelson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 16, 2016 12:05 PM CUT  David Katoatau of Kiribati dances during the Men's 105kg Group B Weightlifting event on Day 10 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Riocentro - Pavilion 2 in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 15, 2016. David Katoatau of Kiribati dances during the Men's 105kg Group B Weightlifting event on Day 10 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Riocentro - Pavilion 2 in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 15, 2016.Tom Pennington—Getty Images by [Kate Samuelson](/author/kate-samuelson/) ## Kate Samuelson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 16, 2016 12:05 PM CUT A 105kg weightlifter from [Kiribati](http://time.com/4143972/kiribati-climate-change-refugees-paris-sea-levels/ "undefined") gave crowds a charming surprise when he danced off stage following his [Olympic Games](http://time.com/tag/olympics/ "undefined") effort. But David Katoatau, 32, was dancing to make a poignant point about climate change – which is destroying the Central Pacific island nation he calls home. Kiribati, which consists of 21 inhabited islands and has a population of just over 100,000 people, is suffering “extreme coastal erosion not just of the beaches but also of the land” according to its [government](http://www.climate.gov.ki/category/effects/coastal-erosion/ "undefined"). “Most people don’t know where Kiribati is,” Katoatau, who lost his family’s house in a cyclone, told [_Reuters_](http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-rio-weightlifting-idUKKCN10Q29D "undefined"). “I want people to know more about us so I use weightlifting, and my dancing, to show the world. We don’t have the resources to save ourselves.” Katoatau wrote an open letter “to tell people about all the homes lost to rising sea levels”, which was distributed at a Commonwealth Games Federation meeting by his coach, Paul Coffa. His vibrant dance moves became his trademark in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2014, where he won gold in the 105 kg group A – Kiribati’s first ever Commonwealth Games medal. Despite finishing in sixth place in Rio in the B Group with 349kg, Katoatau kissed the bar and danced off stage regardless, to the cheers of the crowd whom he told “I’ll be dancing again tonight”. \[[_Reuters_](http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-rio-weightlifting-idUKKCN10Q29D "undefined")\]  David Katoatau of Kiribati dances during the Men's 105kg Group B Weightlifting event on Day 10 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Riocentro - Pavilion 2 in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 15, 2016. Tom Pennington—Getty Images  David Katoatau of Kiribati competes during the Men's 105kg Group B Weightlifting event on Day 10 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Riocentro - Pavilion 2 in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 15, 2016. Tom Pennington—Getty Images  David Katoatau of Kiribati dances during the Men's 105kg Group B Weightlifting event on Day 10 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Riocentro - Pavilion 2 in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 15, 2016. Tom Pennington—Getty Images  David Katoatau of Kiribati dances during the Men's 105kg Group B Weightlifting event on Day 10 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Riocentro - Pavilion 2 in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 15, 2016. Stoyan Nenov—Reuters  David Katoatau of Kiribati reacts during the Men's 105kg Group B Weightlifting event on Day 10 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Riocentro - Pavilion 2 in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 15, 2016. Stoyan Nenov—Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4453753/david-katoatau-kiribati-olympics-climate-change/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4453753/david-katoatau-kiribati-olympics-climate-change/"},"headline":"This Olympic Weightlifter Danced Off Stage to Raise Awareness of Climate Change","datePublished":"2016-08-16T12:05:30.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:49:27.797Z","description":"His native Kiribati is suffering “extreme coastal erosion not just of the beaches but also of the land”","url":"https://time.com/4453753/david-katoatau-kiribati-olympics-climate-change/","keywords":["2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics","photography","Summer Olympics"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8ac9b8a2c662de94/6988a281524fc06903df9299/david-katoatau-dancing-climate-change-3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kate Samuelson","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/kate-samuelson/"}],"articleSection":"Sports","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8ac9b8a2c662de94/6988a281524fc06903df9299/david-katoatau-dancing-climate-change-3.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Weightlifting - Olympics: Day 10","caption":"David Katoatau of Kiribati dances during the Men's 105kg Group B Weightlifting event on Day 10 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Riocentro - Pavilion 2 in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 15, 2016.","creditText":"Tom Pennington—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/sports/","name":"Sports"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2016-rio-de-janiero-olympics/","name":"2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4453753/david-katoatau-kiribati-olympics-climate-change/","name":"This Olympic Weightlifter Danced Off Stage to Raise Awareness of Climate Change"}}]}] ```