The ultimate goal for top athletes is to collect as many medals as possible as they pit their talents against each other at the Games. However, away from the sporting action there is another competitive activity: trading pins. 

The tradition of sport pins started as a way to identify athletes, judges and officials. The first known pin at a sport event dates from the first Summer Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, according to the International Association of Olympic Collectors.  

Pins went from being cardboard disks with ribbons fastened to them to colourful metal badges. Swapping pins soon became a popular pastime at major sporting international events, including the Commonwealth Games. 

The pins are like currency in the Villages. Athletes, team members, volunteers and staff swap them, trying to collect as many as possible. Some people have even set a pin as a reward for winning a game of table tennis or air hockey game in the Entertainment Hubs

Ebrima Sorry Buaro, a swimmer from The Gambia who competed in the Men’s 50m Freestyle and 100m Freestyle, loves trading pins. He said: “It is like collecting memories.” 

Buaro, who amassed 110 pins at the Olympics in Tokyo from a range of countries, added: “Swapping pins is a nice way to meet people.” 

At this Games, he has collected 28 pins so far and is looking forward to adding Canada, Jamaica and Zambia to his collection. 

There are still a few days left to add to your collection – with 72 nations, as well as several other organisations, to collect from.