Collecting Olympic badges can be regarded as an unofficial sport event of the Olympic Games, reflecting the values of the Olympics and symbolizing human sharing.

In an episode of "The Simpsons", Lisa even became a collector of Olympic badges, and her obsession was astonishing. The long-standing tradition of exchanging Olympic badges is held every two years, coinciding with the Summer and Winter Olympics, attracting numerous enthusiasts and collectors from all over the world.

The affordable price and wide variety of badges have made them an increasingly popular phenomenon, and Milan Cortina will also explore this.

The origin of Olympic badges

The origin of Olympic badges can be traced back to 1896, the year when the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens. Initially, they were colorful wooden rings used as identification badges. Blue represented referees, pink represented athletes from different delegations, and red represented officials. In 1904, St. Louis began producing metal badges. Four years later, at the London Olympics, eight delegations displayed the first personalized badges. These badges were officially launched during the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. Around 1924, athletes began living together in the Olympic Village for the first time and started exchanging badges as a symbol of international friendship. At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, the production of badges reached one million, which were sold to cover the organizational costs of the Games.

"Los Angeles Turning Point"

However, this tradition was confined to athletes and Olympic organizers until 1974. It gained popularity among the general public only with the Montreal Olympics in 1976 and the Moscow Olympics in 1978. The Lake Placid Winter Olympics two years later brought new momentum, but it was not until the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 that this enthusiasm reached new heights. Since then, official sponsors such as Budweiser and Coca-Cola have cleverly set up dedicated badge exchange areas, and many companies and businesses have rushed into the market, producing their own badges and achieving great success. Today, this enduring trend has made badges a powerful merchandise product and naturally entered the mainstream market as a kind of competition souvenir.

Who is pushing hard?

The Olympic medal market has grown immensely. It is said that 5,000 to 6,000 new medals are produced for each Olympic Games. Due to the vast array of varieties, each medal must possess a unique personality to stand out. This has created genuine works of art, each exquisitely designed and featuring rich and diverse patterns. The main sellers of medals are the Olympic Games organizing committees and their respective national Olympic committees. Additionally, the national media and press of the host country also release medals, with Chinese and Japanese media being particularly active. American media outlets such as NBC, CBS, and The New York Times also participate. Diversified sponsors like Alibaba also release medals, and this is especially true for long-standing sponsors like Coca-Cola. Medals from various countries and international police agencies (such as the FBI) also emerge endlessly, along with a multitude of unofficial but equally fascinating medals, collectively forming an endless catalog of medals.

Who is collecting?

Everyone collects Olympic badges. Athletes are perhaps the most privileged group, as they can easily obtain and exchange badges from different delegations. This is one of the favorite activities for many people in the Olympic Village, where thousands of athletes exchange badges with each other. This is not only an excellent way to maintain interpersonal relationships and enhance the Olympic spirit, but also ensures that everyone starts on the same line. As some athletes have demonstrated in their vlogs, you can easily exchange badges with well-known champions like Novak Djokovic, Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka, or Andy Murray.

Collectors from all over the world flock to these events, some of whom can proudly display their thousands of collectibles. The exchange is very simple; the pin itself serves as a universal language. With just a glance, one can understand who the other person is, and then they can make an exchange proposal and engage in a pleasant conversation. These collectors, known as "pin enthusiasts," bring along replicas of their existing pins specifically for exchange. There are only two requirements for pins: they must bear the year of the Olympics, and they must be pinned on the back. Athletes usually pin their pins on lanyards attached to their badges or credentials; other collectors pin them on hats, clothes, or backpacks; and some people treasure them in display cabinets or frames.

The rarest badge

Due to their vast user base and diverse applications, badges, like any collectible, vary in rarity. Newly issued badges have an average price of around 10-15 euros, but prices can skyrocket on websites such as eBay. The rarest badges are those that are limited edition or traceable to the first Olympic Games. In the Olympic Village, the most sought-after badges come from smaller delegations, as these have fewer athletes and fewer badges available for exchange.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, one of the most sought-after badges is that of rapper Snoop Dogg, the California-based rapper blowing smoke to form the five Olympic rings. Side by side with it are the badges of the Dutch delegation, featuring two orange shoes, and the Jamaican delegation, which had previously released a badge featuring the national flag and the word "ragamuffin" at the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics. A Pikachu badge from the Paris Olympics sold for as much as $2,600, while two badges from the 2004 Athens Olympics each sold for €2,500: the first featured the goddess Athena, the city of Samos, and the words "See you in Greece"; the other commemorated a torchbearer who arrived in Cape Town before the opening ceremony.

Other highly valuable collectibles include items related to Izzy, the mascot of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the gold medal-winning US Dream Team basketball team from the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, as well as collectibles created by Asian media and Nike for the 2016 Rio Olympics. Among them, the most popular item is a jigsaw puzzle shaped like a Coca-Cola bottle, composed of multiple pins, with a total value exceeding 2,000 euros.

The emblem of Milan Cortina

For the upcoming Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, some very interesting series of products have been launched. The series produced by YesMilano includes 14 badges, featuring 12 different designs, showcasing the cityscape of Milan, including various neighborhoods (Brera, Sampi-Chinatown, Isola, Nolo, Porta Romana, Porta Venetia, Navigli) and Milan's iconic buildings, such as Milan Cathedral, Sforza Castle, Bellascalda, San Siro Stadium, and Italian Christmas bread. The Olympic website has launched a series of rich badges, including mascots, official logos, and 17 sports events displayed in pictograms. Other badges are more unique, such as those featuring cartoon characters like Bugs Bunny dressed as members of the Italian delegation, and badges paying tribute to Italian food traditions, such as pizza, mozzarella cheese, pasta, tiramisu, and Italian aperitifs.

Milan will also establish a badge trading center sponsored by Warner Bros., which will be open daily and located in the Porta Garibaldi district. Olympic partner Alibaba will follow suit by creating a smart badge trading center within the Milan Olympic Village. Leveraging Alibaba Cloud's artificial intelligence system, the center will feature interactive functions with athletes. Among them, the most enthusiastic is undoubtedly Olympic athlete Sofia Kirkby. The American bobsledder, who calls herself the "Queen of Badge Trading," crafts handmade badges on social media and sells them in a shop in Cortina.