Japanese couple become Olympic Ambassadors after

A young Japanese couple who traded their homeland for the sunny shores of Cape Verde have become the tiny African archipelago's Olympic team ambassadors.

Rikiya and Ayumi Kataoka were on their honeymoon touring the world when they arrived in Cape Verde last February.

It was supposed to be a three-week holiday.

But two weeks in, the island stopped all flights to curb the coronavirus, and the couple were left stranded.

A year on, the Kataokas have risen to fame on the archipelago they've made their home, according to the LUSA news agency.

Rikiya Kataoka, who's a 30-year-old videographer, praised the islanders' hospitable spirit, adding that he and his wife now almost felt like Cape Verdeans.

Over the course of the pandemic, they traveled extensively across the islands, did volunteer work and produced videos and photos for their social media accounts.

That's why the local Olympic committee invited them to be Games ambassadors, reported LUSA.

They will fly to Tokyo to hold the flag of the nation that's never won a single medal.

The Kataokas have no plans to move back to Japan full time, saying they've already set up a company in Cape Verde and learnt some basic Creole phrases.

With just 400 active COVID-19 cases, the Cape Verdean government has been trying to attract foreigners to the islands - a former Portuguese colony - marketing the archipelago as the ultimate remote-working destination.

(Image Credit: AP)