What is Olympic pin trading? Everything you need to know

Olympic pin trading is a longstanding tradition for athletes, fans, and staff, and the craze is taking over the 2024 Paris Games.

Oct 3, 2023; Paris, France; A Paris 2024 mascot Olympic Phryge pin at the Relay store at the Gare de Nord. / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 Paris Olympics are underway and a familiar craze is taking over the Summer Games.

Olympic pin trading is a longstanding tradition among the athletes, fans, and staff members at the games, and this summer in the City of Lights is no different. But what is Olympic pin trading?

Let's take a quick look at what you need to know about one of the traditions that makes the Olympics so special.

MORE: Coco Gauff wins Olympic pin trading lottery with gift from Snoop Dogg

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What is Olympic pin trading?

Wozniacki’s pin collection kinda goes off pic.twitter.com/KkaMHxpyfM

— Rush 🥇🥇 (@drivevolleys) July 27, 2024

Along with celebrating athletic greatness and allowing the best in the world to put their skills on display, the Olympics are about celebrating culture.

People from mall walks of life come together for two weeks to take in the rare experience, and Olympic pin trading allows them to take back a piecec of those unforgettable memories.

Athletes trade and collect official country pins from their competitors around Olympic Village, along with specialized pins from sponsors, media networks, and the host cities. Some athletes even bring their own specialized pins, like USA gymnastics star Simone Biles.

Biles' pin is a heart with her signature inside, and she's been giving them out throughout the Games.

imagine going to trade pins with THE simone biles and you get a THE simone biles pin! pic.twitter.com/Jf7tBIF26l

— josephine (@ringleaps) July 23, 2024

Team USA basketball star Stephen Curry has also been big on collecting pins during his first appearance at the Olympics, proudly showing off his collection to fellow Team USA athletes.

The official Team USA account on X dubbed Curry, "Big pin guy."

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

— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 27, 2024

Tennis star Serena Williams is not participating in the Olympics, but she is still there participating in Olympic pin trading which some refer to as the "unofficial sport of the Olympics."

Williams says her pin collection dates back to Sydney in 2000.

Queen of tennis.
Queen of pins.

Serena dominated the Olympic world on the court for decades, and off the court, she was dominating the pin swap game too.

A collection that dates back to Sydney 2000 has been growing back home and she's still on the hunt for more at… pic.twitter.com/JFBmOW5N3C

— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 28, 2024

It is clear that Olympic pin trading is a big deal for the athletes, but when did it all begin?

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History of Olympic pin trading

Lori Nickel's backpack, weighing around 40 pounds, is adorned with pins she has received as gifts while covering the Beijing Winter Olympics. / Lori Nickel/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel /

According to CBS Sunday Morning producer Roman Feeser, the Olympic pin trading tradition began during the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens.

Back then, the pins were made of cardboard and used to identify athletes to the media. As time went on, Olympic committees began creating more durable pins that has allowed pin trading to develop into the trend that it has become today.

It's a great tradition that gets everyone in Olympic Village involved and brings people together as they seek out rare pins and try to collect memories they may never experience again. The ability to gift someone a piece of your culture is another reason pin trading so special.

The Olympics truly are like none other.

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