The Olympic Pin Frenzy: More Than Just a Souvenir
Once a simple, charming tradition for Olympians to commemorate their Games experience and bring home a unique memento, pin trading has ballooned into a phenomenon that’s now a significant, and sometimes overwhelming, part of the Winter Olympics. In the bustling atmosphere of Livigno, the desire for these small, collectible badges has reached fever pitch, with event staff, volunteers, and even law enforcement officers actively seeking them out. Athletes are reporting being approached for pins in the most unexpected places, from restrooms to ski lift queues, creating a “wild west” of sorts for this once innocent pastime.
This intense pursuit has led to some rather brazen, and at times outrageous, behaviour from those outside the official athlete bubble. Vince Rugari, a journalist for Wide World of Sports and The Sydney Morning Herald, recently spoke with Australian snowboarder Val Guseli following a halfpipe training session. Guseli shared his own experiences, highlighting the persistent requests he faced.
“Last night before going and competing all the coppers were like asking for pins, I was like, ‘C’mon’,” Guseli recounted, referencing the lead-up to his big air final. His sentiment underscored the pervasive nature of the pin hunting.
Just moments before this conversation, Rugari witnessed another Australian athlete, Misaki Vaughan, being hounded by a volunteer for pins immediately after completing her final training run. This behaviour isn’t isolated; journalists entering venues have also found themselves being asked for pins by security staff, with their bag searches sometimes seeming secondary to their collecting ambitions. Some athletes have even resorted to concealing their pins upon arrival at venues, fearing they’ll be pressured into handing them over to individuals who might otherwise make their Games experience more difficult.
This escalating demand is a perplexing contrast to the intended spirit of the Olympic Games, a highly intense period for athletes. The tradition of national pins has been around for decades, with each Olympic committee creating a new design to represent their nation at every Summer and Winter Games, fostering this marketplace for trades.
For the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, the Australian team pin features a striking design incorporating the Australian flag, the Italian flag, and a boxing kangaroo. While visually appealing, it’s not the most coveted pin at the Games. That distinction appears to belong to Saudi Arabia, which has equipped its two competing athletes with pins crafted from white gold. The Dutch team’s pin, a charming representation of orange clogs, is also proving to be a popular item.
It’s understood that each Australian athlete is issued eight national pins, providing them with a valuable commodity to initiate trades with athletes from other countries. The vast majority of Olympic athletes participate in pin trading to some extent. Many request dozens of their national pins from their team staff, enabling them to engage in lucrative trades, often offering two or even three of their own pins for a single, highly sought-after design.
Australian snowboarder Emily Arthur shared her past enthusiasm for the hobby. “I haven’t really done it as much the last two Games but at Youth Olympics I went crazy,” she admitted. “It was a big thing at Youth Olympics so it’s fun to bring it back.” She recalled the Dutch clog pins being particularly desirable, stating, “The clogs were a hot commodity, from the Netherlands I think it was. Everyone wanted those.” Arthur also noted the appeal of Canadian pins and the rumoured extravagance of the Saudi Arabian white gold offering, adding, “And then obviously like Brazil I feel like would be a cool one to get.”
Arthur confirmed her personal trading etiquette: “I only engage with other athletes but ‘the volunteers want it for sure’.” This popularity beyond the athlete community has transformed pins into a tangible form of currency, capable of securing favours.
Australian team staff have confirmed the strategic use of pins to cultivate positive relationships with venue staff, particularly those who can offer tangible benefits in return. Need an earlier slot for an athlete’s practice? A few well-placed pins can expedite the process. Fancy a hot chocolate delivered to the mixed zone as a gesture of goodwill towards a potentially disgruntled journalist? A pin can certainly smooth over that interaction.
Even global icons are getting in on the action. At the moguls venue in Livigno, on the day Jakara Anthony secured a gold medal in the dual moguls, a conversation with a venue official revealed two previously unseen pins on his accreditation lanyard. One bore the logo of Death Row Records, the label founded by the renowned rapper Snoop Dogg. The other depicted Snoop Dogg himself, clad in a Team USA jacket, with arms outstretched before an American flag, and the words “Milan Cortina” subtly inscribed below.
This Italian media liaison explained that he had struck up a conversation with the rapper, an avid Olympic Games enthusiast, during Snoop Dogg’s visit to Livigno to witness the women’s snowboard halfpipe final. The discussion naturally turned to pins, and Snoop Dogg generously offered the security guard a couple of his own rare collectibles. Reportedly, Snoop Dogg even gifted the official several ‘Death Row Records’ pins, allowing him to keep one and use the others for future trades.
This correspondent was presented with an opportunity to trade for one of these coveted Snoop Dogg pins but, regrettably, hadn’t delved deep enough into the pin-trading craze to possess items of comparable value. The young Italian official, clearly a fan of American rap music, experienced a moment of disbelief and immense fortune, not only meeting Snoop Dogg but also receiving a gift that, judging by the current frenzy surrounding pin trading, might just be more valuable than a gold medal in this particular corner of the world. It’s not unreasonable to suggest that this moguls attendant could be one of the biggest winners of the Milano Cortina 2026 Games.
