Olympic Pin Trading Is The New Swiftie Friendship Bracelet Exchange
Athletes like Simone Biles and “Pommel Horse Guy” are swapping theirs at the Games.
The Olympics may be taking over Peacock and TV screens, but there’s another event happening behind the scenes that TikTokers are loving just as much: Olympic pin trading.
It may not be an official sport at the 2024 Paris Games, but collecting pins has become a hobby that many athletes are taking seriously in the Olympic Village. Even though pins at the Olympics have been a thing since 1896, athletes swapping and trading within the Olympic Village has become more popular in recent years thanks to social media.
One thing about the Olympic Village is trading pins is serious business.
Chiaka Ogbogu from the U.S. women’s volleyball team told People, “I regret not being on my pin game last Games, so this time I'm really stepping it up.” And it’s not just individual countries that have their own collectibles, different sports and athletes do as well. Simone Biles’ golden heart pin, for example, has become a coveted item that many Olympians on TikTok are trying to track down.
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour may have made swapping friendship bracelets popular at concerts and events, but it looks like pin trading could take the podium as the next it thing to do. So, here’s everything you need to know about the viral Olympic trend:
Who’s Swapping Pins At The Olympics?
Since pin trading hit the FYP of TikTok, more and more athletes are getting into the Olympic tradition at the 2024 Games. New Zealand rugby player Tysha Ikenasio is just one of the many Olympians who have made it their mission to collect as many pins as they can. She even started a pin quest to find something for every letter of the alphabet, and completed it in just three days.
Since there are pins for almost every country, sport, and even some individuals, there are quite a few to find. During the opening ceremony, some members of Team USA were even spotted trading on their boat. That included Steph Curry who was handing out Team USA’s basketball pins.
And it’s not just athletes who have made this their new hobby in between matches. Journalist Arielle Chambers, who is at the Olympics, has started collecting, and is in search of one of the most rare pins: Snoop Dogg’s. TikTok’s new fave, “Pommel Horse Guy” Stephen Nedoroscik, also traded with a fan after winning bronze at the men’s gymnastics team final.
The Most Sought-After Pins & Where To Find Them
Biles’ golden heart with her signature inside may be a popular pin to collect, but there are several other rare finds in the Olympic Village that athletes are looking for. For its adorable design alone, many people want the clogs that the Netherlands team is handing out.
After getting a pair of clogs, U.S. women’s rugby player and medalist Ilona Maher said, “One thing about the Olympic Village is trading pins is serious business. We don’t mess around trading pins.”
There’s also the ultra-coveted Snoop’s pin, in which the rapper appears to be blowing out smoke rings that resemble the Olympic ones. Tennis player Coco Gauff is one lucky athlete in possession of a Snoop Dogg pin.
But it’s not just the individual ones that are rare; people are also in search of countries with only a few athletes. Belize, Liechtenstein, Nauru, and Somalia have just one representative at the Games, so the pins for those countries are obviously harder to find than others. Then there are the ones that are just super cute, like China’s team pin with a panda on the Eiffel Tower.
While pin trading isn’t a new phenomena — Disney fans have been doing it for years — it’s been entertaining to see unfold on TikTok while bringing athletes from around the world closer together.
