The Paris 2024 Olympic Games aren’t just about sporting feats. Another tradition – both historic and quirky – is attracting attention: pin trading. These colourful accessories have become highly coveted objects, causing a sensation far beyond the stadiums and podiums.
The phenomenon can be seen across social media sites, which are brimming with photos and posts in which volunteers, athletes and tourists proudly show off their latest finds.
Recently, Coco Gauff, tennis player and American flag bearer, set social networks ablaze. Known for her prowess on the court, she’s also making a social media splash with her pin collection, including one in particular: that of Snoop Dogg.
Her Instagram post of a video of the rapper offering this pin as a reward to the A-list competitor set off a frenzy of requests and searches on TikTok.
If you think it’s just fans and tourists who are collecting pins, think again. Some of the most famous celebrities also indulge in this hobby. Serena Williams describes herself as a “first-class pin collector”, and American journalist Arielle Chambers of ESPN obtained a Snoop Dogg pin after posting a video requesting one.
The craze for these little objects is not just about amassing a certain quantity to rival others. In fact, it’s the quality and rarity of pins that have become key criteria for collectors.
Among the most prized is that of Simone Biles, the American gymnast who recently took home a silver in the Games. Trades are often showcased in posts that recount elaborate treasure-hunting stories – and, of course, the viral aspects of TikTok makes it a perfect place for these types of tales.
The hunt for pins may have turned into a full-blown competition for athletes, but the values of fair play are still upheld, even in this sphere. During the badminton semi-finals, Spain’s Carolina Marin withdrew, having injured her right knee.
Her rival, China’s He Bingjiao, showed support for Marin by taking to the podium wearing her silver medal and carrying a Team Spain Olympic pin to pay tribute to her unfortunate opponent: an image that inspired emotion among fans on social media.
In Paris, this competitive charm collecting has given rise to a virtual frenzy, where every acquisition is immediately shared with a community eager to bask in the moment. And it’s not new: “Pin collecting is believed to have begun as far back as 1896 at the Games in Athens, Greece,” according to CBS News.
“The pins were cardboard, and were used to identify athletes, officials and media. It is thought that some fans began to collect these pins, and thus a new kind of sport was born.
But outside of the Games, pins haven’t always been in fashion. Long considered a tacky accessory, they were in vogue in the 1980s and ’90s, and they’ve recently become an outfit essential once again for young generations to embrace.
Whether used in association with Gen Z favourite activities such as embroidery or crochet, or for clothing styles such as the “ugly look” or the “weird girl”, fashion cycles are reviving styles and also bringing pins back centre stage.