Pinning memories: Why Olympic athletes are exchanging national pins
The competition for Olympic medals between the world’s top athletes is undoubtedly intense, but an activity taking place on the sidelines – the amicable exchange of national pins – is also heating up.
News from Paris indicates that Thailand’s national Olympic pins are among the most sought-after items by athletes taking part in the Games.
Their popularity is evidenced by Serena Williams, a former world number one tennis player and avid Olympic pin collector, who is eagerly seeking her own.
She once told SportSkeeda that the Thai pin is one of the items she would never trade, along with the North Korean pin she acquired at the Rio tournament.
Meanwhile, “Tennis” Panipak Wongpattanakit, Thailand's gold medallist in taekwondo in the under 49 kilograms class at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan, also exchanged Thai pins with her fellow athletes from around the world.
Regarded as a form of cultural exchange, athletes and staff worldwide believe that pins from each country memorialise the Paris Olympics whilst representing their irreplaceable relationships.
So it comes as no surprise to discover that the National Olympic Committee of each country has seized this opportunity to create commemorative pins for athletes and teams to exchange with representatives from different nations.
Uniqueness of the Thai Olympic pin
The Thai Olympic pin features the emblem of the Olympic Committee of Thailand with a white elephant carrying a crown on its back, standing atop the Olympic emblem with five rings.
The design was originally bestowed by King Rama IX.
According to the committee, His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej granted his Royal Patronage, as conveyed by His Majesty's Royal Secretary, on December 16, 1949. His Majesty also graciously provided the Symbol of the Olympic Committee of Thailand on January 8, 1951.
The official website of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) notes that pin exchange has been a custom since the first modern Olympics in Athens in 1896. At that time, countries' symbols were made of cardboard and used to identify athletes, referees, and officials before being exchanged at the Olympic Village after the competition.
The cardboard sign gradually evolved into today’s pins. In each Olympic competition, the host country also prepares various types of commemorative pins to be sold to participants as souvenirs, which is considered another way to generate income for the host country.
Additionally, some celebrities who attend the opening ceremony of the Olympics also provide pins to exchange with athletes. For example, American rapper Snoop Dogg, who served as one of the 2024 Olympic torch bearers, has prepared a brooch in his likeness, depicting him exhaling smoke that resembles an Olympic ring, with the Eiffel Tower in the background and the word “Paris” on it.
