There’s an unofficial Olympic sport setting the internet on fire. Athletes have been showing off their pin trading collections and everyone is loving the variety.
Many countries have their own unique Olympic pin. As athletes meet each other, they exchange pins and return to their dorms with lanyards heavy with flair. Larger teams like the U.S. will have pins for every sport. Since there are more athletes, collectors are likely to find at least a few of these.
Some countries go a little harder in the design department. The ones with animals on them tend to generate a lot of excitement, but athletes have been loving the Dutch shoe pin.
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There are some rare pins in the trading market. Countries with fewer athletes have fewer pins to give out. Belize only has one athlete competing this year. Other rare country pins come from those experiencing hardship like Palestine and Ukraine. Even the Olympic Refugee Team has one.
Some popular athletes have their own personal pins that have reached rare status. For example, Simone Biles made her own special pin to give out. It’s a gold heart with her name etched inside. Other athletes with personal pins are Ilona Maher and Katie Ledecky.
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But the one everyone’s after? That would be Snoop Dogg’s Olympic pin.
Coco Gauff’s got the @SnoopDogg #Olympics pin ?#Paris2024 | #tennis pic.twitter.com/W6zRDFoeae
— ITF (@ITFTennis) July 29, 2024
This pin features Snoop Dogg in his signature blue bandana suit with the Eiffel Tower in the background. He has a joint in his hand and is blowing smoke clouds that resemble the Olympic rings into the air.
Honestly, if the International Tennis Federation didn’t repost Coco Gauff’s photo, I’d be inclined to believe this was a hoax. The pin does exist though! Not many have one, and there are few to come by, so the scarcity alone makes this pin a holy grail in the Olympic Village.
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Unfortunately, there is currently no way to purchase your own Snoop Dogg Olympic pin. It is not licensed by the International Olympic Committee. It would be up to Snoop to decide if he would like to distribute the pins more widely.
Pin trading has been a fun way for athletes in the Olympic Village to get to know each other and break the ice since the first Olympics in 1896. Whether this year’s athletes are able to collect them all or not, I think Olympians are just loving that Snoop Dogg is part of their Paris experience.
Published: Aug 9, 2024 4:07 PM UTC