ATLANTA — While the 2022 Winter Olympics are going down in Beijing, a ballroom in the Hyatt Regency Atlanta hosted a specialized sport on its own - of sorts. Pin trading is an Olympic tradition as alive and well as the medal events themselves.
"I went in 84' and I caught the bug," Edwin told 11Alive while attending an Olympic pin trading event at the Atlanta hotel ballroom.
Thirteen Olympics later, Edwin is a connoisseur of pin trading, which is just as much about connecting as it is about collecting.
"Being at the Olympics and trading with someone that they can't even speak to in certain countries... pin trading is something that just kind of brings countries and people together." Another Atlanta pin trader told 11Alive.
Travel is limited during the 2022 Winter Olympics due to COVID-19 protocols. But, pin trading has remained a steadfast tradition in the latest year of Olympic games nonetheless. Connecting and collecting from hotel conventions to competition venues, pin traders are making a mark this Olympic season.
The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony took place Feb. 4, and the winter games continue until Feb. 20.