A “World Famous Streaker” Crashed The Olympics With A Message That Was Kinda Sweet

As far as titles go, there are few more eye-catching than "world-famous streaker." But that's exactly the title Mark Roberts, who claims on his website that he was also once considered for the title "World's No. 1 Most Prolific Streaker" by Guinness World Records, has earned over his 25-year-long streaking career. And Roberts' latest stunt was caught live on camera as he crashed the 2018 Olympics bearing a message of peace and love — wearing nothing but boots, a bright pink tutu, and a monkey-shaped penis pouch, of course.

Cosmopolitan reports that Roberts, who's from Liverpool, arrived on the ice after the speed skating event medal ceremony. Footage posted and apparently captured by Twitter user @Jimmycn1 shows Roberts climb over barriers onto the ice and strip off his cover outfit, which included tearaway pants. Roberts then falls pretty much immediately, but gets back up and continues down the speed skating track performing what appears to be ballet. He then retrieves his clothes, climbs back into the audience, and appears to be escorted out by venue security.

As for the peace and love message on his torso, it's not the first time Roberts has used his unclothed time to spread a message, but this one seems to be a little sweeter and a lot less commercial than his usual fare, which includes advertisements for triviamania.com at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics and goldenpalace.com at the 2006 Pinerolo Palaghiaccio Winter Olympics, Cosmopolitan reported (with corresponding and very interesting photos).

The event is a return to streaking for Roberts, reported the Daily Record. Roberts told The Scottish Mail on Sunday in 2013 that he was "hanging up [his] birthday suit" after 519 streaks, explaining, "I’m nearly 49 now and my children have begged me to stop. It’s time. I’m not ready for my slippers just yet, but gravity’s against me."

But it seems the lure of continuing his Olympic streak — er, pun not intended — was too much. If Roberts truly abstained from 2013 to now, that makes PyeongChang's streak No. 520 since his first streak at the Rugby Sevens tournament in Hong Kong in 1993.

Roberts also streaked at Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004, Yahoo! Sports reported. In a January 2018 interview with Yahoo! Sports about that incident, he said his streak timing is actually purposeful. "I can't do it during the game," he explained. "It has to be before the game is in play. I don’t want to interrupt the game … I'm a professional."

Judging by his timing in PyeongChang, that's a personal code of conduct he's sticking to. His personal code also seems to involve a pretty basic principle: Everyone having a good time. Roberts said on his website that streaking gives him a "buzz," but also, "[I]f you can make people laugh it gives you a big rush. I don't do it to offend. If you look into the crowd of any of the photographs you see of me streaking, they are all laughing and smiling, standing up wanting to get pictures with their cameras!"

Whether Roberts will face charges for this incident is uncertain. Cosmopolitan reported that a South Korean "overexposure" law passed in 2013 could see Roberts fined up to 50,000 KRW, which may sound ominous, but that fine works out to roughly $46 U.S. So, as Cosmopolitan puts it, that's "probably a small price [...] to pay for a lot of notoriety."

Roberts does not appear to have publicly commented if this incident marks his return to streaking or if it was a one-off, but given Roberts' record, Tokyo and Beijing, hosts of the 2020 Summer Olympics and the 2022 Winter Olympics, respectively, might want to be prepared.