This year, athletes from around the globe have been sharing their Olympic pins on social media.
The tradition of trading Olympic pins dates back to the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens, where athletes, coaches, and reporters wore small cardboard badges for identification.
Olympians are exchanging special pins representing their countries or sports with fellow competitors and attendees. Certain pins have become particularly coveted, like Simone Biles's custom pin, which features her signature inside a gold heart.
Even celebrities, like rapper and Olympics commentator Snoop Dogg, have joined the pin exchange.
Snoop came prepared with his own pin, featuring a pin-sized Dogg blowing Olympic-style smoke rings into the air.
Snoop Dogg's pin is one of the hardest to collect, but he made a special effort to give one to tennis star Coco Gauff. "Hey Coco, it's big Snoop Dogg. Got something for you, beautiful," he said in a video shared on social media, unveiling his custom pin while wearing a t-shirt featuring Gauff. "This is for you. Great game today. Go USA."
Simone Biles pin
@thenzteam Okay but is a Simone Biles PERSONALISED Olympic pin the GOAT of Pins?! Lucky Tysha Ikenasio! #SimoneBiles #OlympicPins #olympics ♬ Oh my god what is that - Shoftyz
Simone Biles, the most decorated US gymnast in history, embodies the term GOAT (Greatest of All Time) with the gold heart on her pin.
Refugee team pin
@olympics Now that's a pin collection! 😍 Are you also looking to get your Refugee Olympic Team pin? Stay tuned; we will have some great news for you. #Olympics #ForThe100Million #Paris2024 ♬ original sound - Olympics
This year marks the first-ever design for the Refugee Olympic Team, which debuted at the Rio 2016 Olympics. "The emblem features an arrow way marker, signifying the shared experience of their journeys, and a heart – originating from the Olympic Refuge Foundation logo, to represent the hope, belonging, and perseverance that the team seeks to inspire and that people have found through sport," according to the IOC.
The Dutch pin
@ilonamaher Thank you to these lovely Dutch ladies for their pins @paris2024 @Olympics ♬ original sound - Ilona Maher
Dutch athlete Ilona Maher posted a video of herself with the team’s pin, which features tiny clogs, representing the Netherlands. She expressed her excitement, saying, "I've never wanted to own something miniature so badly before."
Saudi Arabia’s pin
@hazel.ouwehand_swims Olympic pins are a thing! Every country gets given their own pins to then trade with the other nations. Now that I am done competing I am trying to collect as many pins from as many nations as I can! So far I have thirty pins! This pin from Saudi Arabia 🇸![CDATA[]]>🇦 is one of my favorites, especially with how delicately it is presented. . Which pin do you want to see next? . #olympics #pins #trade #saudiarabia #Paris2024 #swimming ♬ original sound - Hazel.ouwehand_swims
New Zealand swimmer Hazel Ouwehand proudly displayed the Saudi Arabia pin in a TikTok video, calling it her favourite so far. The pin displays the country’s national emblem with the Olympic rings stacked at the bottom.
The South African pin
@imogendaisyg I am a magpie and I like collecting shiny things so if you have a pin badge to swap at the Olympics I want it!! #rowing #olympics #olympicvillage ♬ original sound - Imogen Grant | GB Rower
Great Britain rower Imogen Grant shared a TikTok video showcasing a unique pin from South Africa. The pin, given to her by a South African sculler, resembles hand beading and is attached by an actual safety pin.
@gabscott13 Got the China pin!!! Let’s see what other pins I get today. I am running low so I’ll have to start trading other ones 😅 #olympics #puertorico #foryou ♬ original sound - Gabby Scott
Puerto Rico's track and field star Gabby Scott showed off two pins from China – one fan-shaped pin featuring a panda clinging to the Eiffel Tower and another depicting a dragon, fireworks, and the Olympic mascot.
Olympic Skater Daniela Terol's pin collection
@danielaa_terol wich is your favorite one? 🇮![CDATA[]]>🇳![CDATA[]]>🇫![CDATA[]]>🇯![CDATA[]]>🇦![CDATA[]]>🇷![CDATA[]]>🇪![CDATA[]]>🇸![CDATA[]]>🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦![CDATA[]]>🇵![CDATA[]]>🇾![CDATA[]]>🇳![CDATA[]]>🇬![CDATA[]]>🇨![CDATA[]]>🇦![CDATA[]]>🇳![CDATA[]]>🇱![CDATA[]]>🇷![CDATA[]]>🇸![CDATA[]]>🇦![CDATA[]]>🇺![CDATA[]]>🇨![CDATA[]]>🇳![CDATA[]]>🇺![CDATA[]]>🇸![CDATA[]]>🇧![CDATA[]]>🇷![CDATA[]]>🇨![CDATA[]]>🇴![CDATA[]]>🇦![CDATA[]]>🇴![CDATA[]]>🇮![CDATA[]]>🇷![CDATA[]]>🇯![CDATA[]]>🇵#olympics #paris2024 #spain #foryoupage ♬ som original - songs vibes
Olympic skater from Spain, Daniela Terol, has an impressive collection, having amassed pins from Australia, Brazil, Japan, Nigeria, Argentina, Paraguay, Angola, Colombia, Iran, Serbia, Fiji, Netherlands, South Africa, USA, Canada, India, and China.
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