The Coca-Cola Official Olympic Pin Trading Center
The Tradition of Olympic Pin Trading
Originally designed as colorful badges to identify athletes, officials and the media, pins have changed hands since the first Modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, when Olympic athletes began exchanging pins as gestures of goodwill. Today, pin trading honors that tradition while spreading the spirit of the Games.
As the "most popular spectator sport of the Olympic Games," pin trading has become an enjoyable way for people to meet others from around the world and to take home a reminder of the Olympic Games. Pin trading is the ultimate accessible activity that offers an unrivaled Olympic experience for serious pin collectors and fascinated spectators alike. It is truly for the fans.
With the arrival of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games, The Coca-Cola Company continues nearly 10 years of bringing the spectacle of Olympic pin trading to the fans through the Coca-Cola Official Olympic Pin Trading Centers.
Olympic Pin Trading in 1996
- One of two official pin trading locations, the Coca-Cola Official Olympic Pin Trading Center at Centennial Olympic Park will be centered at the southern perimeter of Centennial Plaza. The other center is located at Coca-Cola International Plaza adjacent to the World of Coca-Cola.
- Opening on 13 July, the 4,200 square-foot, air-conditioned tent in Centennial Olympic Park will provide a haven where pin enthusiasts and Olympic fans from around the globe can purchase and trade pins in a lively, exciting atmosphere. During the week preceding the Games, (13 July - 18 July) the hours of operation will be 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and during the Games, the center will be open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 a.m., with the last day of operation being 5 August, the day after the Closing Ceremony.
Coca-Cola Olympic Pin Trading Over the Years
- The 1996 Centennial Olympic Games mark the sixth consecutive Olympic Games in which Coca-Cola has created an official venue for Olympic pin trading.
- Coca-Cola sponsored the first Pin Trading Center at the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, where long lines kept a steady stream of 17,000 visitors per day engaged in pin trading.
- In 1994, more than 400,000 people visited the Pin Trading Center in Lillehammer.
Olympic Factoid |
Pin trading was one of the most popular Olympic sports, with more than 1.2 million pins changing hands during the Games in the Coca Cola Pin Trading Center at Centennial Olympic Park. |