The History Behind the Tradition of Olympic Pin Trading

Amid the ongoing 2024 Paris Games, besides the athletes and their superlative performances, Olympic pins have also gone viral. Much like Taylor Swift’s friendship bracelets, from spectators to collectors, everyone seems to be on a mission to gather as many as they can. But what’s the story behind them?

With the Olympics now in full swing, a lot of fascinating Olympic lore has been surfacing, from the rumoured “anti-sex” beds to the now-iconic chocolate muffins being served in the canteen at the Olympic Village. We haven’t even gotten to the athletes who are becoming fan favourites from the too-cool-for-school South Korean Kim Yeji and chill Turkish sharpshooters to the Italian gymnast who is sponsored by parmesan (yes, the cheese).

But let’s continue to add on to the wonderful and eclectic Olympic stuff. Even before the first Sports comPetition was held, another “sport” was already in full swing during the opening ceremony: pin trading. The tradition has gone viral on TikTok but what exactly is the story behind it?

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The story behind pin trading, the “unofficial sport” of the Olympics

Pin trading at the Olympics is nothing new. In fact, it started all the way back in the first modern Olympic games in 1896. The pins back then were made of flimsy cardboard and were worn so that athletes, judges, and officials could be easily identified. It has since evolved and become a tradition where everyone trades and collects them, even those who are not participating in the Games. It has since been dubbed the “unofficial sport” of the Olympics.

In fact, there are people who go to the Olympics simply to collect these pins. Inside the Olympic Village is the The Olympic Collectors’ House where these collectors trade and exhibit their items, whether it’s pins or other Olympic memorabilia. One of them has been to 14 different Olympic Games just to collect pins.

Big pin guy 🇺🇸 @StephenCurry30 https://t.co/NtV7R5Fvfe pic.twitter.com/LsdbL4LPHK

— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 27, 2024

Ever since the tradition grew, there have been a number of different pins that one could collect. According to pin enthusiast Ed Schneider via Today, there are four different kinds of pins. The first is the National Olympic Committee pins, which basically mean pins that represent different countries. There are the host city pins that showcase the different landmarks and the culture of the host city. There are also media pins made for journalists. Finally, there are sponsor pins.

But this isn’t the exhaustive list. Countries with many athletes could have a dedicated pin for each sport, and even star athletes returning to the Olympics, like Simone Biles, could even have a custom pin.

As riveting as it is to watch the actual comPetitions, it can’t be denied that the “pinquest” of athletes and spectators alike is one of the most entertaining things to come out of Paris 2024.

(Hero image: Fabrice Coffrini / AFP)

This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Thailand.

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